Golden Lover's Abyss
by OWLSIES
Summary: Misaki and Shinobu have been kidnapped and sold to a wealthy man. How will Akihiko save his beloved while he later confronts the man who is a powerful enemy that holds something against the Usamis. Misaki is brought to harm and how will he cope? Not good with summaries (In CONSTRUCTION)
1. Chapter 1 Last Day of Freedom

**GOLDEN LOVERS ABYSS**

 **Rating: M**

Warning: Contains torture, violence, drug use, suicide attempt, non consensual sex

Due to fanfiction strict rating, explicit details have been toned down.

Full explicit version coming soon to AO3.

You have been warned. Not intended for young viewers. Please don't take in any offense to the content. If you find it uncomfortable then don't read it. This version has been toned down as best as it could.

I'll notify when a chapter contains those kind of contents.

 **Genre:**

Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Crime, Psychological, Tragedy, Action, Romance

 **Characters** :

 **Main**

Akihiko & Misaki, Miyagi & Shinobu, Nowaki & Hiroki + pet, Haruhiko & other character, Takahiro, Fuyuhiko.

Contains OC and slight OCCness.

 **Length of Story:** Long Novel

 **Author:** OWLSIES

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 **Disclaimer**

I do not own Junjou Romantica. This fanfiction is purely written for non-profit and entertainment. I do however own the other characters but they do not represent anyone in reality.

* * *

 **Notice**

CHAPTERS 7-10 are under construction-major editing. So bear with bad grammar if your a new comer.

Ch 9 contains a very strong torture scene. I'm going to tone it down so if you do read and cringe the unedit version. Just ignore it.

But don't worry I'll still write new chapters on the way.

 **Chapters 1-5 are short and rushed on purpose**. They are brief introductions to how they got sold. The following chapters after that are approximately 5K or 10K words in length.

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Re-written Version.

This chapter contains fluffy romance scene.

 **{~0~}**

 **LAST DAY OF FREEDOM**

"Usagi-san stop it. I'm late for class!" Misaki protested.

The brunette rushed to his study table to hoist his bag strap over his shoulders. To his dismay, Akihiko had distracted him from his morning routine. The silver haired had attempted to grope him after catching him partial dressing in his room. Living under the same roof as Akihiko had proven him to a challenge. Aside from his cleaning duties, relieving Akihiko of his Misaki energy levels was currently the task he found the most frustrating. He didn't hate it nor he didn't mind it, however it was the timing that annoyed him.

Any other time was better than this. There were times where he was late and also the times where Akihiko had prompted him absence from class. This only lead to him being berated by his professor for lack of attendance and for negligence of his studies.

Akihiko cuddled his arms around the brunette from behind. Misaki disliked it when Akihiko did this. It hindered his ability to conduct other duties. Just because the man was older and taller, didn't mean he had the right to hold him in this awkward position.

"Usagi. You don't understand how angry my teacher will get if I turn up late to class," Misaki complained.

Akihiko bent down forward slightly to peck the side of Misaki's head. "Don't worry with my red sports car, we'll be there in less-."

"Yeah yeah I know. You've been using that excuse for three years now. I get it. Now can we head out now?"

Akihiko chuckled lightly and roughly ruffled his soft brown locks.

"Usagi!" the brunette whined.

"Lets go then."

Finally Misaki was free from Akihiko's cheeky cuddles. The two descended to the red vehicle where they headed out onto the road. Akihiko's cell phone rung while they were on the road. The man ignored it and continued to drive. After the first ringing tone was over, a second call came. Misaki crossed his arms. His face labelled with disappointment.

"Usagi-san! You didn't hand in your manuscript did you?"

"Hm? Oh don't worry I'll have it done later."

"Usagi. Get your manuscript done now. When is it due?"

"Yesterday."

"What!?" Misaki exclaimed. "Not again." He groaned dramatically. "Usagi. If you don't get it completed I won't come home early. I'll hang out with Toudou tonight," he threatened as he pointed his finger.

Akihiko sighed in defeat. "Fine I'll start. But I'm picking you up after school."

"No Usagi-san. Finish your manuscript. I might visit the convenience shop after class. So finish your work or you won't get to spend time with me."

Now that was a threat that caught his attention. He hated it when his job interfered his playtime with his Misaki. Worst of all Aikawa's pestering was agitating him. So many despicable distractions preventing him from making love with his favorite brunette.

They arrived outside the entrance of Mitsuhashi University. Like always everybody would turn their attention to the luxury car.

"Thanks Usagi. Finish your manuscript okay,". Misaki leaned forward to grab his school bag.

Akihiko charismatically smiled. "Kiss?" he requested insistently.

"Baka Usagi! We're outside my university."

Misaki quickly opened the car door to exit and scrambled as fast as he could to his lecture. Panting and breathing heavily, he finally made it. Popping his head in, he was delighted to see that his lecturer was not yet present in the hall. He respired deeply and entered. Keeping his cool he glanced over to an empty seat in the middle of the lecture hall.

This was probably the last time Misaki had to put up with his strict and high tempered professor. Misaki sat down on his chair and waited for his lecturer to enter. The brunette started to daydream due to boredom and also the lack of friends. Nonetheless he couldn't help to notice but to eavesdrop on the conversation the two girls had in front of him.

"Have you heard the number of kidnappings have increased," the girl gossiped to her other blonde friend.

"Yeah I saw it on the news this morning. It's so terrifying nowadays. I heard a group of teenage girls went missing and few of their male friends as well. Maybe there's a gang out there that desperately wants money," her friend replied.

Misaki thought to himself that it was nothing really, people go missing all the time, it tends to die out later or the police will solve it. Either way passing this year and finding a full time job was all that mattered to him.

Hiroki entered the lecture hall. Everybody instantly transitioned into silent mode, for the Demon Kamijou had entered. He slammed his books on the table in front of him creating a loud thud. Everybody would flinch and swallow as he did that. It was a sign of his unhappy mood. This meant that everybody had to concentrate hard. And if anyone failed to meet his standards they would suffer the consequences. He opened his text book but was distracted by multiple pieces of cat fur that lingered on his work clothes.

"Damn you Nowaki and that damn cat," he grumbled under his breath in discontent.

 _Flashback_

"Hiro-san look what I found. Meet a new member of the family. This is Noro. Isn't he cute. It's our name together. I found him abandoned on my way back home from work," Nowaki grinned widely.

Nowaki lifted the orange fluffy kitten in the air before holding it close to his chest. He patted the kitten gently on its back causing the kitten to purr upon his touch.

"Meow," the kitten softly purred.

The associate professor nearly dropped his work bag when he witnessed the unexpected adoption. A sense of disapproval crossed his mind.

"What!? You have to be kidding me? You picked up a wild cat. It could be riddled with diseases. Return it!"

Nowaki rocked the kitten gently again. "Aww come on Hiro-san Noro needs a home, after all it's not that bad owning a pet. And besides it's not wild. Someone placed it in an adoption box outside the vet."

Hiroki dropped his bag down and crossed his arms. "How are we suppose to look after something if we're rarely home!" he argued.

"Hiro-san I thought you might want to help me raise it."

"Raise!? Huh!" he scoffed. "Living with you is already difficult enough but bringing in a cat! Who's going to feed it and clean it huh?"

"I will." Nowaki lifted the cat to his face and cooed. "Who's a good boy. Papa is going to look after you little one."

Hiroki stared at his lover like he had grown an extra head. Nowaki's interaction between the animal was beyond the standard of normal for him.

The next morning.

Hiroki poured the hot water into his coffee mug containing shredded dried tea leaves. He swirled the liquid around with a teaspoon. Nowaki was still in bed. Not in Hiroki's bed but in his own, with that baby kitten of his. That darn kid had chosen a kitten over him. He can show all of his affection to that feline if he wanted, it didn't bother him. Hiroki increased the swirling speed as he contemplated. Okay maybe it did bother him a little. But he couldn't get jealous over an animal, he was too intelligent for such childish thoughts.

"Meow," the kitten purred by Hiroki's foot in the kitchen.

"Ah!" the man's heart bounced. "Where did you come from?! Weren't you with Nowaki? Nevermind," he sighed. "What do you want? Go and lick yourself or even better run off and go find yourself a better owner who will raise you properly."

Hiroki calmly walked over to the dinner table and sat down. He placed the warm mug on the table with his right hand while still holding onto the handle. The kitten followed the man and jumped up onto his lap and then onto the table with expert aerobic agility. The orange kitten then begun to nibble and gnaw on the button of his left wrist sleeve.

"Hey don't do that," he groaned. Hiroki gently pushed the kitten off his wrist but the animal refused to budge. After a few attempts, the frustrated man raised his left wrist with the kitten still attached and shook it gently. The kitten dangled momentarily in the air until it decided to sink its fangs into his flesh.

"Argh!" he yelped in sudden pain and wavering flicked off the kitten causing it to fly across the room two meters away.

"Meoooww!" the kitten screeched as it went flying.

"Shit," he grunted. Hiroki immediately rose from his spot after he had accidently tossed the kitten. A sense of guilt filled him.

"Hiro-san, have you seen Noro?" came the voice of his half sleepy lover.

Hiroki startled when he realized Nowaki was awake. The tall doctor stood there rubbing his droopy eyes as he yawned.

Did he see that? Damn I hope that kitten is alright.

"Umm no," Hiroki replied calmly. Although he was actually feeling quite nervous at this point. "Must of ran off somewhere."

A soft meow came from behind the sofa. "Oh there your are. Come here Noro. Its time to feed you." Nowaki approached the kitten and held the animal close to his broad chest as he headed off to the kitchen. The kitten didn't appear to be injured and purred adorably as Nowaki held it by his shoulders, cradling it like an infant.

Hiroki sighed in relieve. He thought he had harmed the small animal. How would Nowaki react if he were to see what just happened? Maybe a disappointed reaction was all he could unleash against him.

The associate professor turned to glance at the two. The kitten hissed back at him with it's sharp miniature teeth. Hiroki shot a glare of hatred back at the provoked animal.

He had meet his match.

 _End of flashback._

Hiroki continued to flick over the pages until he found the correct one. He resumed back to his teaching for the day.

Halfway through the lecture and Misaki's focus had completely drifted off elsewhere. He recalled what happened last night that bugged him a little.

That lazy author refused to complete his work on time and evaded his priorities by not answering his phone or by making love. Akihiko sneaked into his lover's room around midnight. He slipped under the warm thick blanket and spooned his lover. Misaki felt the bed shift and a warm body enveloping his back. Cold hands ran smoothly past down his shoulders and then around his chest.

The silver haired drew his lover closer to his body and nipped his ear. Misaki kept his eyes shut tight. He pretended to sleep, hoping that the perverted fondles would end. But it didn't, Akihiko continued lightly caress his body with elegant strokes as he pecked the sides of his neck.

"I love you," he whispered romantically into his ear.

Misaki could hear and feel his warm breath tickling against his skin. More pecks were placed on his cheeks before a warm wet tongue was slid across the curves of his neck. Misaki shivered as the tongue trailed along his neck sending convulsions through his aroused body. The brunette accidentally released a soft moan. Akihiko smiled for his brunette was not asleep. Now it was time to coordinate his next move.

The silver haired ran his right hand down Misaki's pants and slowly massaged his private region. Each stroke stimulated him and his breathing rate increased. He bent his knees forward as Akihiko increased the pace. His head arched back while he moaned.

"Usagi-san, ah its late."

Akihiko ignored his excuse in attempt to elude his love making session. He knew his lover was only making these up these excuses in order to hide his embarrassment. The stroking motioned intensified and the brunette squirmed as his body twitched.

"Ahh," he moaned softly.

Finally he had climaxed. Misaki could feel his heart pumping rapidly as he panted. He motioned himself to face the ceiling. Akihiko maneuvered himself on top of the brunette and glanced into his eyes amorously before planting a slobbering kiss to his lips. Their soft lips connected tightly before releasing to gasp for air. The silver haired ran his fingers through the brunette's smooth hair as they made out. He slipped his tongue into Misaki's mouth and licked the inner flesh of his lips before intimately licking the insides of his mouth. They both moaned as the hot warmth of their lips smothered against each other.

Misaki felt a bulge brushing against his. Akihiko begun to remove the pants and underwear off his lover. He then proceeded to do the same to himself. The silver haired prepared the brunette for entrance. Slowly he thrusted into Misaki.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha," he moaned in sweet pleasure.

Misaki's body rocked in motion with the thrusts. Akihiko angled his body between the brunette's spread legs. Thrusting in heightened speed, he was able to hit Misaki's sensitive spot causing him to whimper. Misaki wrapped his arms around Akihiko's neck as they panted in unison. After a several minutes of love making they climaxed together and moaned loudly.

Panting and sweating they collapsed together in exhaustion. Akihiko rested his head between the curves of Misaki's neck. Their breathing normalized after they closed their eyes to rest.

"Usagi-san. Why didn't you sleep in your room?" Misaki whispered to him curiously with his eyes still closed.

Akihiko held his lover closer. "Couldn't sleep. I had a nightmare. Please don't leave me Misaki," he whispered back softly.

"I won't. Besides its just a dream. You worry about little things too much."

"Don't leave me," he whispered one last time before drifting off to sleep.

What did he mean by don't leave me?

"Ack!" Misaki yelped. A book was hurled at him for not paying attention to the board.

"Pay attention unless you want to fail!" the associate professor shouted.

"Nghh. Sorry sensei," he grunted. Misaki rubbed his sore head and resumed back to the board.

After thirty minutes of non-stop rambling, Misaki was set free from his torturous lecture. He sighed in relieve and sauntered out of the hall to meet up with his Kan Buddy. A few more classes left to attend until he was finished for the day.

Hiroki collected his belongings consisting of mainly textbooks and headed back to his office. He turned the knob and opened the door only to interrupt an intimate moment between his colleague and his young lover. They gasped and immediately separated from each other's arm. The blond gave Hiroki a disappointed glare before hoisting his bag over his shoulders and leaving.

Wow, Hiroki thought. How awkward.

"Oh morning Hiroki," the professor grinned widely.

"Morning Miyagi. You know you should be careful doing that kind of thing in this place. The Dean may stumble into the office any day."

Hiroki placed his books on his desk and slumped down onto his chair.

Miyagi sighed. "I fear that everyday but the kid is stubborn." He then lit a cigarette to smoke.

"Well you should let the kid now his place."

"Is that what you do with yours?"

"It's the only way to not let their clingy feelings overrule you. And yes I let him know his place. But he still manages to find a way out of it somehow."

A phantom voice of Nowaki's energetic flirtatious demeanor filled the brown haired's mind.

"Hiro-san. Hiro-san. Hiro-san. Hiro-san"

"I can't let that kid have his way," the older man groaned.

"What was that you just say?" Miyagi turned his head from his seat.

"Nothing don't worry about it."

His wrist started to itch where the kitten had bitten him. Hiroki scratched the surrounding area around the band aid. The bite was luckily superficial but it still irritated him. That animal better not be diseased the man complained internally. If he were to contract any infectious viruses or parasites then Nowaki would be in deep trouble. Poor doctor would experience the flaming wraths of the Demon Kamijou.

Miyagi heard faint scratching noises and turned around from his office chair to stare at what appears to be a band aid wound or some sort on Hiroki's left wrist. Intrigued by what happened the cheeky professor snuck up from behind his work colleague.

He then grabbed Hiroki's left arm and lifted it up before removing his band aid from behind. "What happened here?" He glanced closely at the red scratched cut.

"Hey!" Hiroki protested as he flicked his arm out of Miyagi's grasp.

Miyagi chuckled. "When did you get a cat?"

"How did you know this was from a cat?"

"Cause my ex-wife once owned one. Used to scratch and bite me all the time. Damn I hate that demon cat. Although luckily it died two months later. It escaped from the apartment and got ran over by a car on the road. But don't worry that's how cats play unless you provoked it."

Miyagi ruffled his brown hair to tease the man. "Let me guess the kid brought it in. Knowing that a person like you wouldn't adopt such a thing."

Hiroki crossed his arms. "Yes he brought in that vile creature. And with your statement before. I may have provoked it. What happens then?"

"Depends on the cat itself. But I assume if you provoked it, you may want to find a way to get rid of it without breaking your partner's heart."

"No I don't want to kill it, probably will just leave the door open or something."

"As expected from Demon Kamijou. Shinobu told me that's what the students call you. It seems that you have meet your nemesis. A battle to prove who is worthy of winning over the kid's heart."

Hiroki shot a glare at the professor for teasing him with such ridiculous nonsense.

"Be grateful that I don't throw books at your little boyfriend. Thanks to his lucky connection to you and the Dean, my punishment for his ignorant attitude is limited to chalk sticks."

Miyagi grinned cheekily before resuming back to his work. The brown haired sighed in worriment. 'Am I really not worthy of Nowaki that he adopted a kitten to demonstrate his affections too? Was I not allowing Nowaki show his feelings towards me? Am I that ignorant? Why the hell am I feeling guilty? Or am I just overthinking this? Curse you Nowaki and that furbag!'

[~¥~]

The day finished and Misaki sauntered freely out of the university grounds and headed off to a large supermarket nearby. He entered though the automatic double glass doors and grabbed onto a red basket by the side of the entrance. Walking pass the isles of consumable products he searched for the fruit and vegetable section. After reaching his designated section, he scanned around the stacked fruits and veggies until he found it. His green peppers, all neatly lined up, green and freshly picked.

'Waah so green,' he cheered joyously.

He picked up the green pepper and scanned all over the vegetable for any signs of mold or deterioration. Satisfied with his selection he placed them into a thin plastic bag. As he selected more green peppers from the flat shelf he noticed a blond boy to his right shoving a whole lot of cabbages into a trolley. Maybe he was cooking for a family gathering, the brunette thought. Misaki shoved the green peppers into his basket and headed to off to search for other consumable snacks. Maybe he should purchase some biscuits or chocolates or something edible. Nothing with strawberries and cherries in them though, thanks to Haruhiko. The brunette found a packet of cream cookies. Anything will do he shrugged. He added the cookies to his shopping basket before heading off to the cash register at the front of the store.

Misaki begun to walk home after his visit from the convenience store. Carrying the ingredients and other snacks he had purchased, he turned into a quiet street. Well this seems quiet for an afternoon he thought to himself. He continued to walk on the concrete foot path while a suspicious black van drove by. As it passed, Misaki kept walking, unaware of the vehicle's suspicious activity. The van had spotted its prey and did a quick sharp U turn before pulling up next to Misaki. Shocked by the sudden pull over, he froze for a couple of seconds, he later knew he had to run for his life. But it was too late. The van door opened and two men wearing black baggy clothes and a white surgical mask grabbed him by the waist and arm. They then lifted him up and hauled him into the van. The boy was about to let out a scream but the other accomplice had quickly placed a white rag covered with the scent of chloroform over his mouth and nose. Misaki felt weak and his vision started to blur before he blacked out. The van sped off, leaving behind only the scattered groceries and green peppers that he had purchased on the pavement as the only trace of evidence.

"Woo that was easy! Young people are so easy to kidnap these days!" the kidnapper exclaimed, as he drove in search for another victim.

His accomplice was in the back, duct taping his victim limbs and mouth before blind folding him to be ready for transportation to their dealer. To make sure they won't be tracked, the man took Misaki's phone and threw it outside. Of course he was wearing gloves, these guys were professionals working for the Mafia.

"Imagine how much money we could make if we keep doing this. We already took like seven people this month."

"Should we take him to the dealer now since the police are on high alert nowdays?" another accomplice at the back added.

"No not yet besides we are in a new town. After a few more drives we may get lucky," the kidnapper explained before turning to the driver. " Yo Aku, few more rounds before we go eh?"

"Sure thing," the driver said as he turned through another street. "This area seems nice and empty," the driver said before spotting his next victim. "Ah a young teen too, the boss will be happy."

"New prey guys! Get ready, the more we kidnap and traffic the more money we make. This area seems clear!" he yelled to his subordinates at the back.

Aku pulled on the side of the road as he usually did. This time they had snagged a blond haired boy. When the two kidnappers pulled him in and shut the doors, the blond fought for his life. He started to kick and motion his arms back and forth to break away from the kidnappers grip.

"Wow this kids a fighter," the man said whilst trying to hold the victim.

A rag was then quickly placed over his mouth which muffled his screams, causing his body to turn limp. The black van then drove off. No witnesses were present and all was left behind was the dirty blonde's cabbages that had fallen out from the grocery bag. Both boys were bound and blindfolded. The kidnappers were done for the day and drove off to deliver their packages where their boss will decide their fate.

[~¥~]

Misaki could hear faint sobs and cries echoing into his ears. He slowly opened his eyes to identify the source. His vision took a while to adjust to the light dim room.

'Where am I? Where is this place? Usagi-san please help me.'

He awoke to find his hands bound together by silver duct tape. Misaki tried to motion himself up from his resting position but was greeted by nauseating headaches. The brunette glanced around to observe his surroundings. He was locked in a cell. The cell had degraded concrete walls, metal chains and leaked pipes that dripped every three seconds. The brunette could see other cells as well. The interior was similar to a prison, only instead the prisoners were innocent helpless victims like him.

He saw the other victims, many were around his age and were mainly women, there were other males too. However it was hard to see their full appearance as the only source of light was in the centre of the hallway.

"Shit what is going to happen to me?," his muttered under his breath.

'Was this a nightmare? The events unfolded too quickly. I must be dreaming.'

But this was real. He closed his eyes and thought of his partner's comfort, his brother and all of his friends and if he were to disappear from them without them knowing. Emotions began to build up within him and he became desperate to find an escape. Upon looking around his cell to find a way out, he noticed a blond boy in the corner of his cell with his head was facing down, resting on his knees.

Misaki called out lightly to the blond, "Hey are you okay? Do you know where we are?"

The dirty blond lifted his head. Misaki swear he knew he had seen this boy from somewhere before. The blond had grey eyes and they looked just as terrified as Misaki's was.

"No, I don't know where the hell we are I just woke up," he replied. His voiced appeared slightly low. " I was buying some cabbages from the shop near the university to cook for dinner tonight. As I was heading home, a black van come out of nowhere and two men jumped at me. After that I don't remember the rest."

"Me too! Except I was buying green peppers. Wait does mean you were at the same store as I was? I thought I noticed you there for second," he said, feeling a bit better since they were now both on the same boat.

"Well I guess that makes us both unlucky then," the boy chuckled in a low depressive voice. " I'm Takatsuki Shinobu, but you can just call me Shinobu."

"Ah okay Shinobu, my name is Takahashi Misaki." He sighed deeply. "What do you think is going to happen to us?" he asked, not really wanting to know that something bad might happen to them.

"I don't know, but I don't plan to find out. Wait we should ask the others in the other cell," Shinobu suggested. He shuffled a bit closer to the front to view the other prisoners.

"Hey guys, over there! Do you know what's happening?"

One girl across their cell raised her head to respond to them. The girl had light brown hair in the shape of a bob cut. It was clear that she was a high school student as she was still wearing her uniform.

"The bad men... the Mafia... they're selling us for organs or as slaves," she responded in a cracky voice as tears begun to drip from the corners of her eyes.

Misaki and Shinobu turned to face each other at the same time. Their faces labelled with disbelieving shock. Misaki begun to shake. All of these negative thoughts were starting to run into his head. What would happen if he were to get sold? At least he would still be alive and then at least Usagi-san and the police could find him. Unless he was killed for his vital organs, which he didn't want to know how they would extract it. He cringed upon imagining a sharp surgical knife cutting deeply into his flesh while warm blood poured out. Would he be conscious when the organ extraction was carried out? He felt a bit woozy after conjuring up those disturbing images in his head.

Shinobu was feeling the same, he wished Miyagi were here to save him. He only wished to see his family one last time before he would disappear from them. Both boys sat in fear, lost in their own world, wondering whether they will be saved from the evil clutches of their captors.

Suddenly in a distant, a metal door opened and the sound of men conversing can be heard echoing from down the hallway. Their footsteps grew louder as they came closer. All of the other prisoners shuffled back to end or the corners of their cells. Both of the boys did the same.

"Well which one here would like to see the boss first?" came a deep voice. As the men came closer the boys could see four men. All of them looked like typical mobsters due to their shaved beards and built structure. Two of the men were holding guns which appeared to be a black sub machine gun. The third one was holding knife, whereas the fourth one had nothing but his bare fists, whom appeared to be the decider of the group.

"What about these girls over here?" one of the thugs pointed.

"Nah they stay here. Hoes are everywhere, we need to traffic high quality stuff," said the one without weapon. Looking around the cells he stopped in front of Misaki's and Shinobu's cell.

"Well well what do we have here," the man grinned. "Two little boys. You must the ones Aku and his boys brought in. I'm sure you will be sold at very high price, both of you." The man then signalled his men to open the cells. Misaki and Shinobu were both now fearing for their lives. Shinobu was cursing at them to "fuck off" whereas Misaki withdrew to the corner screaming " Stay away from me!"

The men pointed the guns at the boys signalling them to get up. Unable to do so due to their bound hands, the men picked them up and dragged them by the collar of their shirts. Now up and moving, they were escorted at gunpoint pass the hall and into a basement looking room. There they saw a fairly handsome middle aged black haired man dressed in elegant black tuxedo with a red ribbon tie. The man was smoking a cigar on one hand with his elbow resting on the arm chair and his legs crossed. He was sitting on a nice wooden chair. The two were forced to kneel in front of him. Both boys were nervous and shaking at this point. Who was this man? And was he the one to decide the outcome of their fate?

They prayed inside their hearts that a light would protect them from such evil.

"Boss, we found these two. Do you think they are worth it?" the thug asked.

The yakuza smirked at the sight of the boys. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward before reaching out with his hand to cup Misaki's chin and gaze into his frightened green eyes. He motioned Misaki's face left and right to observe his superficial beauty.

"This one has beautiful emerald eyes," he said before moving to Shinobu. But before he could cup the dirty blond, the boy flinched and swayed his head away.

"Don't touch me! " he protested.

"This one's a feisty one. You won't be after what's going to happening to you," he smirked. "Boys!" he signalled his thugs. "It's decided, we ship them off. The auctioneer will be pleased." Turning to them he grinned. "Well I hope that today was the last day you will ever be experiencing the taste of freedom."

Both of their eyes widened and within seconds a cloth bag was placed over their heads.

[~¥~]

Back at the apartment.

Evening had approached and Misaki had not yet arrived home from university. Akihiko sat anxiously waiting in the lounge room with his cell phone in his hand. It was 8:15 pm and Misaki had not yet replied to any of his text messages or calls. Sure thing Misaki had done this sort of thing before when he went out with his friends late at night. But with Akihiko being overprotective, he needed to know who was Misaki with and where he went. The silver haired despised that Sumi friend of Misaki's. Could Misaki be with that guy? Akihiko wondered. Where was his lover and why hasn't he told him where he was? He did mention something about hanging out with Toudou. But the lack of information was driving the impatient man insane. He decided to give Misaki another call.

"Come on Misaki. Pick up your phone."

Still no one answered the phone.

"Damn!"

Akihiko didn't have time to worry about his manuscript. His mind was only focused on the safety of Misaki. Damn! He should off put a tracker on Misaki's phone. That would make it so much easier for him to locate his brunette at anytime and any day he wanted to. He should off learnt his lesson from the day Misaki stayed over at Sumi's. Darn! Now he had to wait for his lover. Hoping and praying that the brunette would walk through the front door,

Akihiko waited.

But he still didn't come.

To be continued...

* * *

A.N: FYI (spoilers) The kitten does play a part in the storyline.

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Love OWLSIES


	2. Chapter 2 Unexpected Journey

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

A.N/ When it comes to Misaki and Takahiro 3rd or 1st, I use Usagi but mainly in the story I use Akihiko. They're both the same anyways, Akihiko sounds more formal. Lastly when I refer to Shinobu as blond, its actually means dirty blond color but I like to use the simplified term.

Note: Chapters 1-5 are short introductions to how they got taken.

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 **{~0~}**

 **Unexpected Journey**

 _Boom, bang!_

A loud sound awoke Misaki. His body felt fatigue and weary from the anesthetic effects of the chloroform. Trying to recall what happened, he slowly twitched open his eyes. His arms and legs remained bound, his helpless body laid prone on the hard metal surface. The black hood deprived his normal sensory capability, darkness enveloped his vision despite being conscious. The cloth prevented him from breathing freely, deluding him into suffering from claustrophobia temporarily. Unknown to where his captors were taking him, he panicked, his breathing rate increased into shallow huffs. All he could hear was the sound of mechanical engines rumbling and chugging as it drove along the gravel road.

Desperately trying to escape, Misaki motioned his sleepy legs and arms to properly manoeuver his body upright. Upon doing so he ended up kneeing someone by accident.

"Umphfff. Who the hell kneed me?" came a familiar voice, it was Shinobu. "Misaki is that you?"

"Shinobu, is that you too? Thank god I'm glad to hear your voice. It's me Misaki, where are we?" he asked, feeling a bit relieved that he had somebody nearby.

"Yeah its me. I can't see with this stupid bag over on my head!" the dirty blond exclaimed. Shinobu tried to wriggle his limbs free but they were both bound as well. "Misaki are you tied as well?"

"Yeah I can't move, I guess we're stuck here."

"Shit!"

Unable to formulate an effective plan to free their bonds, they laid listlessly on the hard steel floor, actively listening to the external environment, until it came to a complete stop…

[~¥~]

Beforehand..

After the yakuza boss had ordered his men to ship off the boys, they were both taken and roughly thrown into the back of a small delivery truck. The medium sized vehicle disguised itself as a milk truck, deceiving those who dare to question its pure intentions. Never would anyone suspect that the vehicle was transporting innocent victims. Their screams would never be heard, the thick metal soundproofed their attempts to screech out for help.

The truck was heading towards a port, constructed by the edge of a rocky beach. After it had reached its destination, the vehicle halted momentarily outside the heavily guarded gates. This was not a port patrolled or secured by law enforcement, rather it was controlled by corrupted underlings. The purpose of their operation was to enable a safe route for illegal trading of goods into protected borders. Items ranged from rare antiques, drugs, exotic animals and humans were smuggled into the country without authorization.

The time of the day was morning. The squawking seagulls flew against the strong blowing winds. Large murky tidal waves crashed against the rocky sandy shores. Thick grey clouds masked the shinning rays of the weak sun, creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere, a storm was brewing in the distant. When the truck stopped at the checkpoint, a guard in the booth questioned the driver. Two other guards carefully inspected the vehicle to identify any suspicious details that may link to an undercover cop's work of infiltration. One of the men opened the back of the truck, sliding up the metal door. After seeing the correct informed items, the guard nodded in approval to his subordinate.

"Alright, it seems clear! Send the packages through!" he ordered. The metal door was slammed shut, disrupting the two from their sleep. The electric metal gated fence slid open to the side, enabling the truck to drive into the compound. It cruised pass several smaller buildings before proceeding into the main warehouse.

As it entered the restricted premises, a group of workers waited patiently. Once parked, a light greeting was exchanged between the driver and the exporter. The rest of the group proceeded to collect their package. The metal door was opened, a couple of men peered into the back of the truck.

"Right so this package is to be sent over to Frank the auctioneer in Italy," the exporter explained while he held a checklist in his hand.

Just as the order was given, Misaki and Shinobu hopelessly wriggled their bodies for their final chance of freedom.

"Wait, what Italy?!" Misaki cried in disbelief. He was going to be shipped to a foreign country?! His heart shattered completely, his world had overturned drastically.

"Why are we going there?! Leave us!" Shinobu retorted. He struggled to twist off the binding tapes. Tears formed in his eyes, he grinded his teeth, his legs jerked relentlessly. His life in Japan was slithering away before him. He would crawl his way out of this mess if he had too. He wasn't giving up to these immoral beings and their nefarious operations.

"Shut it, you two!" one of the men scolded.

The underlings hopped into the truck, their arms extended, ready to transport their goods onto the next delivery service. With all the strength they could use, they hoisted the two over their broad muscular shoulders.

"Let me go! Arghhh! Don't touch me you bastards!" Shinobu protested as he struggled to free himself from their strong grasp.

Misaki was too fighting for his life. He writhed his body but failed miserably to break loose. "Hey put me down! Nii-chan, Usagi, someone save me!" he bawled out loudly.

"Yeah yeah shut up you brats!"

The workers carried the struggling two over the planking platform that connected the ship to a wooden pier. Sauntering over the angled floor they carried them into the inner sanctum of the ship. Impuissant by the restraining measures, they grew despondent on the effectiveness of their resisting actions. Being hooded added fuel to the growing disorientated stress.

Inside the ship they were taken further down through the dark narrow cramped hallways and to the bottom deck. A place secluded off from the other cabins, or human contact. Arriving at the lowest part of the ship, there situated a tiny cabin. The men opened the thick metal door before dropping the boys inconsiderately on the cold metal floors. Misaki and Shinobu winced in pain, they grunted when their fragile bodies splattered against the hard surface.

"Enjoy your cruise," the men laughed hysterically before leaving the room. They locked the doors behind them and strolled away, leaving the two imprisoned.

[~¥~]

 **SHINOBU POV**

'Arghhh I can't move!' I screamed internally.

With all the strength left in my weakened muscles, I forced my body upright. No matter how many times I had failed, I gritted my teeth, using the last bit of energy I had left, I managed to effectively use the back of my bounded fist to push myself up. The throbbing pain radiated on were I had applied strong pressure to. Though despite the minor injury, my thoughts concealed it.

"What are we going to do now?! Shit!" I cursed.

My dry throat became sore as I tried so hard not to break down. Tears were on the verge again, this time I knew they would never stop streaming down. I was afraid, sad and terrified at the same time. I was kidnapped, my life snatched away in a whim. Just like that I was now being illegally smuggled from my country to a foreign land where my fate will be decided.

How was my family ever going to find me? Seeking desperately for peace of mind, I though about Miyagi and the blissful moments we shared together. I remembered his warming touch, his smile, his cigarette doused breath, his tall figure embracing my short stature from behind and the seductive kiss that sent my soul into serenity. But these thoughts did not last long when I realized my dire situation. Trying to keep my insanity intact, I turned my attention to the brunette who unluckily ended up on the same boat as me. As I was about to open my mouth, I could hear him sobbing lightly and his trembling voice whispering, "Usagi-san, please forgive me."

 **MISAKI POV**

'I'm going to Italy?!' I shrieked to myself.

My body trembled, shocked by the outcome of my life. I was being transported like a mere item across to the other side of the world. No one would even know I was there, not even the police or my family. Furthermore I couldn't even speak Italian, my language was limited to Japanese and minimal English greetings. I heard one of the men say that we were to be sent over to someone called Frank who was apparently an auctioneer or some sort. Does that mean they were going to be sold to filthy rich old men? I hope not, I'd rather die than service myself to a sick minded beast.

I don't want to see the upset, contorted crying faces of my loved ones for placing another burden on them. I have already caused enough trouble, maybe this was what I deserved, to disappear from their life. Why was I the victim, even in broad daylight? I never knew such cruel thing could happen, I have such bad luck. Right now I was agitated by the black bag over my face as well. But I guess I'm not alone to suffer through all of this trauma. Shinobu came to be a presence in which I depended on. He was loud and brave. He was able to curse at the enemy, unlike me whose raking emotions shrouded my judgment, causing me to temporarily freeze, impeding my actions.

Tears began to pour rapidly down my sickly face, and before I knew it, I had lost it, I had lost hope, it was too late now. I was never ever going to see my brother or Usagi-san again.

"Hey Misaki, you there?" I heard the blond call my name. "Don't give up yet, I'm sure they looking for us now."

His solace words were ineffective against my current mental and emotional state.

"I wish it were that easy. Don't you see the mess we are in," I exclaimed as my emotions took hold of me. I sobbed uncontrollably. Crying my heart out was the only thing I could do right now.

[~¥~]

Meanwhile back in Japan as the two descended on their trip over the treacherous seas.

Akihiko restlessly paced around his lounge room in circles while speaking loudly on the phone with the detective. Takahiro was also present in the apartment after he had found out that his little brother was declared missing. His wife gently caressed his palm with her thumb in a circular motion to soothe her husband as they sat down on the lounge. Mahiro innocently dawdled adorably around his mother's leg while cooing for attention. Takahiro face was sullen, his eyes still red from the endless crying. He was greatly concerned for the well being and safety of his little brother, so was his wife, together they vowed to help search for Misaki.

Since Misaki's disappearance, Akihiko went in search for his beloved brunette at Sumi's place, Toudou's and his family's, just in case his brother or father had taken him for personal reasons. Nonetheless Misaki was nowhere to be found, therefore the silver haired alerted the police and a separate private detective was hired. The authorities were able to track down Misaki's cellphone, leading them to the street where he was initially taken. The quiet and peaceful street was closed off temporarily for investigational purposes.

In the crime scene, they discovered Misaki's broken phone, packet cookies and green peppers. The receipt inside had led investigators to the grocery store in which the items were purchased from. Video surveillance from the shop had confirmed his presence during the day he was deemed missing. Many witnesses in the store were interviewed about seeing the boy, whether he had spoken anything, acted odd or appeared threatened. But no one suspected anything strange from the young man. Even the neighborhood claimed that they didn't hear or see him being taken, it was silent, a mystery that had police baffled.

Further questions arose, like if Misaki had any haters or stalkers but no one really knew. During this period one cop dared to question whether Akihiko was responsible for the disappearance, for exclusion purposes. Needlessly to say the silver haired nearly sucker punched the cop in the face if it weren't for the consequence of being thrown in jail for assault. However, yes there were some moments in his life where he felt like chaining the brunette into a cage to prevent him from running away, but he never had the heart to overrule his petite brunette.

Not far away from Misaki's missing location, Shinobu's evidence was merely seven minutes apart from each other. Both boys were also present in the same store that day. The only evidence left behind was Shinobu's cracked phone and cabbages. The police were therefore working closely with the Takatsuki and Takahiro family.

Their disappearance were publicized, news channels, brochures and newspapers had their student photos plastered all over, informing citizens of the sad news and raising awareness. The university grew wary after two of their students went missing, fearing that more would be targeted when vulnerable, printed handouts and electronic notices were sent out to all staff and students.

Later that evening.

Miyagi wretchedly sat on his couch, smoky mist wafted in the air, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and intermittent sobs. His ashtray was filled with cigarette butts.

When his little dirty blond failed to return back to his apartment, he panicked. He called his phone non-stop, before calling Risako, and even the boy's father. They both denied seeing Shinobu, deepening his tribulations. He had spent all day driving in search for his lover, despite having police patrol cars doing the same.

"Please be safe Shinobu." He sighed deeply. He felt lonely, sad and cold without him.

When night had fallen, Akihiko and Miyagi would have to have to bear with the empty silence of their lover's absence. Their bed laid untouched, sheets remained unfolded or creased. Signs of active life had ceased, no more cooking, no more complaining, no more smiles, they are alone.

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	3. Chapter 3 A Friend in Time of Need

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

 **{~0~}**

 **A Friend in Time of Need**

Few hours had passed since the docked ship had set sail into the open seas. The tide and wind knots, doubled in strength, the waters grew agitated and rough. A storm was heading towards their direction, a large one too but not strong enough to post pone their mission. It was definitely not a hurricane but the ride wasn't going to be pleasant for those dwelling in the lower quarters. Misaki and Shinobu could feel to rocking waves angle the ship back and forth slightly. If they were in a smaller ship, maybe their stomachs would be violently churning.

The two had ceased their crying but settled down into grieving silence. They remained buried in their personal thoughts, unwilling to directly communicate to each other for now. This moment was all the suddenly tarnished by the distant murmurs. Afraid of what might happen to them, their hearts raced. The manly muffling conversation and clonking footsteps grew louder when they approached the door. With a quick clink the metal door swung open, screeching as the thick rusting iron hinges swiveled.

Two men were heard chortling as they entered the cramped cabin.

"Can't believe that guy lost to that damn horse. Who bets that high," a male cracky voice was heard. This man was carrying a tray of bowls containing steamed rice and tap water.

"And I won! He lost because of that stupid theory, hahah," another man with a deep voice chuckled. This one carried a metal handcuff and a torch. He shined the torch in the pitch black room at the two before removing their hoods. Their eyes blinked and narrowed when the bright lights penetrated their unadjusted eyes.

"Hm, what cuties we have here. You must be special to be sold in a Western country. In Europe especially." The bearded baldie kneeled to their level. "Don't worry I won't hurt you, the auctioneer wants you two in good condition. It's rare to obtain items such as yourselves these days. Your on high demand." The man unsheathed his knife and moved towards Misaki.

The brunette jerked in fear and screamed in protest. "Please don't kill me like this!"

"Relax kid. How are you supposed to eat with you hands bound?" the man reassured before cutting off the duct tape that bounded him.

The other man holding the food tray placed it on the floor. His appearance was thin, a skull tattoo was seen inked on his neck, his hair was spiked red, almost resembling a punk. After their bonds were removed, he clasped an iron hand cuff on Shinobu's right wrist and the other on Misaki's left wrist.

"There we go. Now your free to move your limbs and do enjoy the cruise. Enjoy your meal!"

The older men departed, locking the thick metal door behind them. Misaki and Shinobu stared blankly at the handcuffs that connected them, preventing them from freely moving.

"Better than being bound in tape," the blond sighed as he stretched out his legs, enabling proper blood circulation.

They sat in darkness, the air grew colder and the incoming storm wasn't helping them either. After succumbing to their situation, their stomachs demanded for food. Shinobu slowly reached out his free hand, carefully searching for the tray. When advancing forward, this caused Misaki's hand to tug along with his movement.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's okay." Misaki's voice was low and depressive.

"Damn can't see. Hey Misaki can you help me find the tray as well. Thanks."

"Okay."

They patted the cold floor softly in search for their tray, not wanting to spill the water contents in the bowl over. When patting and hunching over, Shinobu and Misaki patted in the middle direction, causing them to pat each others hand by accident.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Misaki blushed and continued patting elsewhere

"It's okay. Don't worry about it," the dirty blond replied back. "Wait found it!" Shinobu pulled the tray over. "I think this is the water and this is the rice," he said as he segregated the two, placing the rice bowl in the middle and the water on the side. "Here." He kindly guided their cuffed hands to where the bowl of rice was.

With their free hands, they silently ate their portions. There was not much but it was better than nothing. After they finished consuming their meal, they took turns in quenching their thirst. Finally fed, they leaned their backs against the cold solid wall.

It was getting darker and night had approached, they could hear the gusting winds whistling its symphony. A loud thunder cracked and roared in the distance. The two would occasionally jump in response to the unexpected rumbling, fearing that the ship might overturn due to a monstrous wave.

"Have you ever been on boat?" Shinobu asked, hoping to break the eerie silence between them.

"No this is my first and I'm definitely not enjoying it," the brunette replied, trying to distract his fears. "I always feared that the boat I'm in would drown like titanic," he chuckled lightly. "But I guess I'm actually a bit terrified of this weather, especially in a dark room like this."

"Yeah me too, at least we're not alone, I wish Miyagi were here now." the blonde sighed deeply. He closed his eyed to think of his lover's comfort.

"He's your family?" Misaki asked curiously.

"No he's my boyfriend," the blonde replied bluntly. What was the point in hiding? It's not like he was going to see his lover again. Shinobu would usually keep this a secret but he wanted someone to listen to him. To make him feel like he wasn't the only human being left in this world.

"What about you?" Shinobu continued.

"What, me?" Misaki chuckled nervously, not knowing whether he should confess that he had one too. "Well I kind of do have one, he's name Usagi, ummm yeah," he replied shakily.

"Oh okay. It's alright at least we understand whom we miss right." He sighed again. "I wish I was at home right now, I could be cooking for him when he comes back home from work."

"Same here. Usagi-san doesn't even really know how to cook for himself. Hey are you a uni student?" Misaki asked. "I'm in my final year of Economics."

"Yeah, I'm in first year of Literature from Mitsuhashi University."

"Wait does that mean you have Kamijou-sensei as your lecturer?"

"Yes, that book throwing psychopath threw a chalk at me for daydreaming. I had chalk dust stuck on my hair, it was very noticeable."

"Ahaha at least you didn't have a book thrown at your head while falling asleep in class," Misaki giggled.

"A book?! What a demon! Ahaha!"

Shinobu laughed at the hilarious true story. Conversing about fun and enjoyable memories helped them both ease down their anxiety, bringing back a taste normality. They continued to chatter for hours about their university life, the stuff they enjoyed such as manga, cooking and even their relationship. Misaki enthusiastically chattered on about his boyfriend's childish like behavior. Most of the stories were actually quite comical for Shinobu. They laughed and joked, keeping each other company, keeping them occupied, making them feel human and not isolated from the rest of the world, both of them needed each other in times like this.

The rumbling storm grew worse, the ship rocked harder, they begun to feel nauseous but held it in. The freezing icy waters caused the metal ship to equalise to the same temperature, making both the room and the floors extremely cold. They shook intensively, breathing heavily as the temperature dropped dramatically. They huddled closely, like emperor penguins in the artic. Each breath caused a small fog to appear before dissipating into thin air.

"It's so damn fucking cold!" Shinobu complained. "Sorry if you find this uncomfortable. The last thing I want is to die from hypothermia."

"Ch-ch-ch, its okay. I understand what you mean," Misaki's teeth chattered.

Shinobu motioned his arm to invite Misaki to share body warmth. Misaki complied, despite feeling nervous about the close contact with a stranger. Their arms embraced and their heads rested against the crooks of each other's neck. The brunette could feel Shinobu's hair brush against his cheeks and within a few minutes, his breathing relaxed, he felt warmer. They closed their eyes, praying that nature's fury would abate and hoping that they'll make it out alive, for they knew this was going to be a long journey.

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	4. Chapter 4 Foreign

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

WARNING: FORCE USE OF DRUGS

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 **{~0~}**

 **Foreign**

 **MISAKI POV**

It had been almost a week since our departure, my whole body was feeling sore especially my neck, I hadn't had one night where I had a proper rest. It was always dark in this small cramped room, the men would often come to let us go out to use the bathroom since the toilets didn't work in this lower level. They only fed us twice a day, the portions were mainly steamed white rice. I felt extremely hungry and really wanted some proper meals like katsudon or beef ramen to satisfy my veracious appetite. Shinobu was my only friend, we would keep each other warm every cold night. When one of us would feel down, we helped each other, our bond and trust deepened. If it wasn't for Shinobu, who knows if I was here by myself, I would have tried to commit suicide already but I suppressed that desire. I wondered if this ship was going all the way to Italy, it's impossible, it doesn't have that much fuel. We're probably being taken elsewhere or another transport was waiting for us, who knows.

Our hands were still cuffed, my wrist was in agonizing pain from the metal digging into my skin. Purple bruises were likely present where the cuffs encircled my wrist. Shinobu's wrist was probably bruised like mine, most of them appeared due to the tugging force. Sitting down all day cramped my lower half so both of us decided lay down with our heads facing the ceiling and our uncuff hand resting under our heads for elevated support. I laid there with my eyes closed, our nights were getting warmer, could it mean that we were travelling down south in order to reach Italy?

Shinobu yawned. "Far umpff, my neck its cramped, I miss my bed so much," he complained as he stretched his tense body.

"Morning Shinobu you want to stand up to stretch better?"

"Yeah, ah gosh I swear I want crack it, so cramped," the blond mumbled as both him and I began to stand up at the same time.

I decided to stretch my back first, before Shinobu and I would walk around in circles to help our blood circulate and also to relief a bit of stress. We haven't seen the sun since we were kidnapped. I began to sigh, how long did we have to wait here? But sometimes I keep telling myself it was better to be here rather then to be sold off to someone who will do all sorts of inhumane things to me. Shinobu then asked me if I wanted to sit down, I agreed. This was around the time when the crewmen would bring us our food. We waited but half an hour had already passed. Did they forget about us? Then I realised something, I can no longer feel that the ship was moving, it was stationary.

"Shinobu, do think we have docked? I don't feel like the ship is moving at all."

"I think so but that was quick to travel half way around the world on a boat," the blond stated. "Or maybe they ran out of fuel."

Just as we were talking the metal door clicked and swung open. "Breakfast is here!" the man with the skull tattoo yelled.

He placed the tray of food on the floor. This was the part I hate the most, trying to navigate our way to the tray of food on the ground without stepping or spilling water. Last time Shinobu and I accidently knocked over the water bowl, needlessly to say we were thirsty for half a day. After we had located our tray we begun to eat our usual way. Once we consumed our food it was time for the water. I let Shinobu have the first couple of gulps before he handed me the rest. I reached out and gulped down the remaining liquid. Finally finished, I placed down the bowl and turned my attention to the blond.

"Hey do you want sit and lean against the wall now?" I asked. All I could hear was the blond murmur something before he collapsed next to me.

"Shinobu? SHINOBU!" I panicked. It wasn't long before I too felt nauseous and within seconds, my vision distorted and my surroundings blackened.

[~¥~]

Half an hour later after the boys have collapsed, the tattooed man opened the door, using a flash light he spotted them both unconscious on the floor.

"Yep they out alright, men you take them to the pier now!" the tattooed man ordered, signalling the other crewmen to come and take the unconscious pair.

Moments later the crewmen arrived, they uncuff the pair, bound them again and placed a cloth bag over their heads. They picked up the young men and hoisted them over their shoulders before carrying them up towards the upper deck. Outside was bright and sunny, the crystal blue waters were calm. They were somewhere near a tropical island down South. Due to the shallow waters surrounding the exotic islands, another small boat had to transport them to land. There awaits a private plane used to transfer goods in and out of a country illegally. The small boat docked at the wooden pier, there three men dressed in black suits and black glasses took the pair from the crewmen and transported them to their next destination by plane to Italy.

[~¥~]

Misaki awoke from his unconscious state, still feeling nauseated from the side effects of the drug, he moaned and begun to move his body. To his surprise his body wasn't bound, but rather his was shocked to find himself only wearing his navy blue underwear. He panicked and glanced around his surroundings, unlike the cold prison they had to endure, this room had wooden floorboards, the walls were fancy painted in light porcelain gold, and dark oak wooden frames lined the corners of the room. It felt foreign to Misaki, he knew this sort of room wasn't a Japanese design, but more European. He then knew he wasn't in Japan anymore and that they have arrived. Still nauseous and sea sick, Misaki turned to find Shinobu in the same condition, also wearing his underwear. He could finally see the boy in broad daylight, his dirty blond hair and his soft white pale skin. Shinobu was still lying inanimately on floor with his eyes closed. Feeling a bit relieved that his friend was still by his side, Misaki shuffled his body closer to him. He placed a hand down on the dirty blond's shoulder, shaking it roughly to gain his immediate attention.

"Hey Shinobu, are you awake?" the brunette asked softly.

The dirty blonde groaned weakly. "Ughhh where are we?" he asked, slowly opening his weary eyes to see Misaki's large emerald eyes peering down at him.

"I don't know but I think we're here. I'm feeling quite scared on what's going to happen to us," Misaki said with a worried expression on his face. He downcast his eyes in sadness.

Shinobu sat up slowly, still feeling a bit sick, Misaki helped him up with his right arm. They both had a good glance at each others face. They both sat next to each other again, used to this ever since they had no choice but to huddle for warmth, sleep and eat together in the harrowing darkness. Whilst observing their new environment, the door abruptly swung open.

"Are my honeybees awake now," came a foreign voice that the pair weren't able to recognise.

In came a middle aged man with slight auburn hair, he was wearing three piece suit that had an exquisite brown and white design to it. He was fairly handsome. However appearance didn't matter as it was the personality that had the pair freaked out. The foreign man approached them with an ecstatic smile.

"Konichuwa!" the man greeted. "My name is Frank, I'm your auctioneer. You boys are going to make me rich. Your auction starts tonight, but you probably don't know what I'm saying. Good lets kept it that way." His smile faded into a sinical smirk. Two maids, all looking fairly around their forties, entered the room with a thug dressed in a black suit and black glasses. Their faces stern, devoid of happiness.

"My workers here are going to dress you up nicely," he smiled. "Behave so I maybe I won't have to discipline you boys." He gazed down at them with a domineering aura before descending out of the room.

The pair looked perplexed at each other, they were definitely in Italy with all these foreign people around them.

Shinobu stood up. "Hey! What are you going to do with us?! Free us, we don't deserve this!" the dirty blond shouted with acrimony.

Frank turned his head slightly, smirking again before walking off, leaving the maids and the guard behind. Misaki lightly patted on Shinobu's hand, hoping to calm his friend, afraid that he might provoke the foreign man. The guard approached the pair, walking around them, he grabbed Shinobu's neck from behind and pulled Misaki's arm to stand him up. The pair resisted and tried to break free from the mans grasp. Shinoubu pushed the guard's masculine arm away, while Misaki slapped and clawed the his hand until it was rash red.

"Let me go!" they both protested in defiance.

Unable to control the pair the guard forcefully pushed Shinobu, causing him to plummet in great speed towards the wooden floor.

"Shinobu!" the brunette shrieked, shocked to see his friend treated harshly.

The guard fiercely turned to Misaki, with his palm he slapped Misaki across the face causing the boy to fall to floor. His cheeks became visibly red. His eyes watered from the stinging sensation on his face.

The guard was now incredibly angered by their behaviour. "You little bitches!" he gritted. With his Bluetooth microphone headset, he called in for assistance.

Shinobu staggered to Misaki's side after he saw the man assault his friend. The dirty blond wrapped his arms around him, creating a protective barrier. Not long after, a few more guards burst into the room, Shinobu was still holding onto Misaki. The guards snatched the pair, forcibly separating them. Fighting desperately, the men quickly grasped their cheeks, forcing the pair to open their mouths. Misaki was trying his hardest not to open his mouth after he realised that they were going to shove drugs down his throat. Shinobu was doing to same thing, trying to keep his lips sealed tight. They squirmed and violently flailed their arms, demanding release. Although the pair couldn't hold it much longer as their cheeks were becoming extremely sore.

Once their mouths parted, the guards took out a couple of white tablets from their pockets and pushed it into their mouths. They then placed a palm over to cover it, preventing them from spitting out the pills. After both of them had ingested, the men dragged them into a bathroom where the maids would clean their victims and dress them properly for the auction tonight.

Misaki was the first to shower, his body laid in a foetal position while the warm water drenched all over his exposed skin. The boy begun to murmur incoherent nonsense as the drug started to take effect. After a few minutes, he was dragged out by one of the guards, the rest of the guards resumed to their duties. The maids then begun to dry Misaki with a white towel, Shinobu was thrown into the shower after his friend. The dirty blond felt queasy, even worse when sea sickness and jet lag contributed to his nauseated state, his stomach rejected the substance. The boy had thrown up in the shower, diluting the potency of the chemical. Disgusted by the repugnant scene the guard grimaced and left it up to the shower to clean him. After the warm shower had completely washed him, the guard pulled Shinobu out, the maids continued their job on the next victim.

The pair were now dried and the maids proceeded to style the their hair. They were to be auctioned off naked but Frank liked his items to be polished to a standard. The naked pair were positioned to sit down, leaning back against the wall in the same room. A black collar with a chain was attached to their necks to add a fashion sense for the auction. Misaki sat there pitifully, his body begun to shudder involuntarily as the peak of the drug took effect. A few more hours and the auction would start, this was when the fate of the pair would be decided.


	5. Chapter 5 The Auction

Disclaimer: I do not Junjou Romantica.

 **{~0~}**

 **The Auction**

Luxury cars from all different types of famous brands and colours lined outside the four story sandstone mansion. A circular fountain with a centered lion statue illuminated the front yard. Limousines with opulent comfort pulled up to the ritzy entrance. Red carpet was laid out to the front steps to exhibit a palatial vibe. Security guards dressed in the usual black suit and glasses guarded the entrance, only permitting entry for the wealthy VIP members. The men were dressed in exquisite tuxedo outfits whereas the woman were dressed in beautiful colourful dresses or frocks. Their luxuriant hair pampered to perfection. Men would ogle their sultry clothing as they passed by, cheerfully chatting among with their friends.

When the guests entered, a giant silver chandelier could be seen in the hallway. Waiters sauntered through the mingling crowd while catering champagne or nibble food. On the left side, another hall had been set up with dinner tables. Pure white cloths covered the wooden round tables. Purple serviettes had been placed alongside the expensive silver ware. The tables were set out to face the stage, hence the guests had a full view of the show. This was where the auction was taken place, in Frank's own mansion. Affluent rich old men, including the most notorious mafia criminals and gang leaders would flock to these events in search for items to satisfy their sick fantasies or to add to their collection. The major auction consisted of humans from both genders, exotic rare animals and treasures.

After twenty minutes of partying the auction was about start. The guests ambled to their respective dining seat. The classical music in the background ceased before an announcement was made. "Ladies and gentlemen, the auction will proceed any minute. Thank you for coming and do enjoy this wonderful night," came the calm voice of a female speaker.

[~¥~]

One hour into auction and Misaki and Shinobu were the next items on the line. The guards had removed the two from their spot and forced them to the back stage. It had been several hours since they were drugged, hence their bodies were able to partially metabolize the tranquilizing effect of the substance. Misaki was left torpid, his face paled, skin cold from the icy air and lips trembling while he sniffled lightly. Shinobu glanced around, other victims such as himself suffered the same fate. Scared about what was going to happen to him, he prayed for help under his breath.

"Miyagi, mother, father please save me."

"Okay bring in the next lot," a male voice was heard. The guards bought up a group of young girls and boys from different backgrounds, including the pair on stage. Over on the stage stood Frank the auctioneer, he approached the lot, his body language fairly entertaining as a sales person.

"Now ladies and gentlemen I bring you exotic items from around the world. Here we got these Brazilian babes, Chinese folks, a bit of Mexican taste and finally our Japanese boys." He wore an exuberant demeanor when he begun to advertise his products.

One by one they were sold to their owners, wailing as they were hauled off the stage. Rapturous applause broke at every successful bid, complimenting their triumph and display of wealth.

"And finally the last pair," Frank announced before he approached Misaki. The man extended out his arm and gently wrapped it around his back to guide him to the centre of the stage. All covetous eyes were glued onto the next item, examining his outer beauty with insatiable hunger for pleasure.

"Here we have our young boy, his body so fragile, available for somebody who loves obedience, can I get any bids?" Frank smiled enticingly to the crowd.

"Seven hundred thousand Euros!" hollered a businessman with a balding scalp.

Frank grinned contentedly at the high starting bid. His hand squeezed onto Misaki's shoulders, eager to hear the final bid. His sins to auction off innocent souls were driven by avarice. The brunette felt displaced of his conscience, as if he were vividly dreaming but at the same time, awake. His legs shook, afraid of these foreign voices inundating his head. Shinobu sniffled while wiping his tears, he felt sorry for himself and Misaki. He didn't want to sold nor separated from someone he knew.

"One million Euros!" shouted another male bidder.

"One point two million Euros!" cried an old man from the end of the hall.

The battle for the highest bid continued amongst the audience, until one final bidder had surpassed all the other bidders.

"Two million Euros!" a deep male voice called out. The audience gasped at the high bid, murmuring when they turned to see who the bidder was. In a corner sat a middle aged man surrounded by his guards. He wore a white tuxedo with golden edges sewn on the shoulders. He appeared quite attractive with his tall stature, broad shoulders and narrow jaw, almost similar in appearance to Akihiko. Although instead this man had raven black hair with clear sky blue eyes. Nearby single woman whispered to their friends, while seductively staring at him before sending a lascivious wink. The raven amusingly reciprocated back with a gentle smirk.

"Two million, going once, going twice, sold!" Frank announced in joy. "My friend I knew you would like this item."

The guards nearby obediently advanced towards Misaki to remove him off from the stage and to his new owner. Shinobu wailed at the evanescing existence of his friend and audaciously ran with all his strength to tenaciously hug Misaki. "No you can't take him away! He's my only friend, I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE! PLEASE DON'T TAKE HIM!" The dirty blond bawled as he sobbed on the brunette's shoulders. Misaki recognized that voice amidst the foreign voices, assuaging his fear of loneliness.

All of the guests were flabbergasted by Shinobu's unexpected outburst, all eyes shifted to the unfolding drama. Bevy coquette woman surrounding their masters paused their flirtation to watch the pair. Frank was chagrined by the dirty blond's behavior and ordered his men to separate them. The audience murmured to one another, criticizing Frank's lack of control over his items. The guards pulled each of them by their arms, tugging while cursing at the two. Shinobu refused to latch off despite being yanked by the hair at the same time. Tears ran down his cheeks, face reddened at the pain. No matter how hard they physical exerted to remain together, eventually they failed.

"Shinobu! Please don't leave me! Please Shinobu!" Misaki cried as he was hauled away by the guard's strong muscular arms.

The blond became apoplectic with rage, he fought for his life and friend. He turned around to viciously claw the guard's face, hissing, screeching and violently smacking his face. The western male guard raised his arms to defend himself against the assailing younger male. Shinobu managed to grab one of his arms and aggressively bite into his palm, resulting in a deep yelp. More guards paced onto the stage to drag him off the stage.

"Fuck off!" Shinobu cursed while flailing his arms for freedom. He was taken away from the show and thrown back into the initial room they first awoke in. He grunted when his body came in contact with the hard polished floor. Shinobu narrowly glared with malice towards the ginger haired guard.

"You bastards! You sinners!" The dirty blond spitted with vehement hatred. The guard responded with a cold-hearted kick to Shinobu's abdomen. "Gah!" he grimaced in unbreathable pain. He curled his body forward with his arms wrapping around his stomach. The blond whimpered before breaking down into whining sobs.

"The boss will deal with you later you worthless slut!" the guard disparaged. The man stomped out of the room and slammed the door shut, locking it behind as he left.

Shinobu laid there, desolated by the separation. He felt lonely. Isolated. Empty.

"Misaki…I don't want to be left alone in this place. Please come back," he sniffled lightly.

[~¥~]

Meanwhile at the collection room.

The crowd had been dismissed to carouse until the next part of the auction would start, this time involving the selling of exotic animals. This was when most rich daughters of the elite members of society gathered to indulge themselves with fluffy animals such as pandas. Misaki, like the others were taken to their owners in a discrete room. They force fed the brunette more tranquilizing drugs to suppress his awareness, especially after what happened on stage. The auburn haired man supported Misaki up by his left upper arm. The poor boy uttered unintelligible murmurs while the auctioneer waited personally for his customer. The raven haired man sauntered into the private room.

"Ah, Frankie, I see you have my new pet ready for me," he grinned delightful as he approached the two. Blue eyes gazed down at his prize.

"Ahh, if it isn't the so called Casanova; Armel. Replacing your collection after what happened to the last one?" Frank smiled when he handed Misaki over to the raven. "By the way Armel don't go too hard with your sadistic tortures, this boy was hard to obtain. And with your history of violence, just try to keep them alive for as long as possible."

"Fufufu. She hung herself, just like the previous one. Not like I care anyways. I was bored with that screeching pet. Anyways. Quite a show your boys displayed up there. That dirty blond Japanese boy, what's going to happen to him? He seems rather interesting."

"I'm going to discipline that child for embarrassing me."

"Well those boys seem like close friends. Must be a pity for them to be separated."

"Who cares. You can buy that boy if you want. I hate disobedient dogs like him. You can have him for a price of five hundred thousand euros. I give you discount since we're family. Deal?"

"Haha, he does appear like the disobedient type. He's not afraid to stand up against your men. Even by going as far as biting them. You should see all your customer's face. Oh, how I couldn't contain my laughter that time," the raven chuckled. "An aggressive pet like that would be fairly entertaining. You have a deal."

"I knew you would take that offer. I can read your emotions like a book. I'll have my men bring out the brunette's dear friend to your limousine."

"Alright I'll be waiting. Until next time."

The two exchanged handshakes, before departing. Misaki and Shinobu were now officially slaves of Armel. Known as the handsome prince of the Halyardir estate, he owned two castle properties, a casino and a private luxury cruise ship. The man was a billionaire. He had wealth and power and was gifted with incredibly good looks. Especially since his father was Italian and his mother was Japanese. Armel appeared as a prince in the eye of the public but the man held a dark past, leaving his innocence corrupted. He would torment his victims until their screams masked his suffering.

Only very few people knew his history. These people were the ones he trusted the most, particularly Frank Halyardir, his younger cousin. The auburn hair auctioneer was his only blood relative whom was also like a younger brother to him. Armel cherished the only youngest Halyardir member. Both of them had suffered tragic loss and shared a similar past. It was this similarity that made these two twisted, to resent the world and to also become one of the most powerful underbelly criminals. They had the influence to silence local policemen and to manipulate others. Rescuing Misaki and Shinobu from the grasps of Armel would be almost impossible.

[~¥~]

Back in Japan

Food stained dishes pilled up in the sink, unwashed clothes laid sprawled out all over the floor and house rubbish were improperly disposed off. Without Misaki, the apartment fell into a wreck. Akihiko laid listlessly on the couch, grieving, indolent to the mess. Empty cans of beer were left on the shorted legged tables while cigarette butts overfilled the circular ashtray. It had been more than a week since his disappearance and no evidence so far was found. In fact the number of kidnappings were rising.

For days the silver haired spent his time in anguishing pain. He blamed himself for not picking Misaki up from university. Because of his laziness in handing in his manuscript, his lover had been stolen away from him. Invasive images Misaki being tormented by his captor flood his mind, leaving him in state of deep regret.

"Guh, Misaki, Misaki, Misaki." Akihiko would mumble his lover's name repeatedly. His phone was constantly ringing, most were from Aikawa or Isaka. The two were extremely worried about how Akihiko was coping with the loss of Misaki. The author had refused to complete his work, even going by far as threatening to quit. Takahiro on the other hand suffered from insomnia and haunting nightmares after Misaki was kidnapped. He would unexpectedly wake up mid-sleep, sweating and hyperventilating.

On the other side of town, Miyagi lost his enthusiasm at work that even Hiroki noticed his odd behaviour. The professor would usually welcome Kamijou with a cheeky morning hug or comment, but recently nowadays the dark haired man became more reserved, his demeanor changed drastically. Hiroki understood the situation since he knew the professor had a relationship with the young boy who was declared missing. Even Nowaki wouldn't let his Hiroki travel alone, worried that his lover would too be kidnapped. Hiroki would ask if his professor was okay, but the only reply he got was a "Ump" or "Yeah I'm fine no worries." Although deep down Miyagi was on the verge of giving up, one week felt like years. Who knows what was happening to Shinobu, whether he was in danger or someone was taking advantage him. Even the Dean was not in the mood for visits in his office lately, for he was too grieving for his loss.


	6. Chapter 6 Paroxysm

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

 **{~0~}**

 **Paroxysm**

"Where the hell are you taking me?!" the blond protested as the guard dragged him by the wrist, tugging him along with aggressive force.

The unknown guard led Shinobu to a black limousine outside the mansion. There stood a black haired man, holding Misaki with one of his arms that was wrapped around his weak upper body. His entourage surrounded the vehicle, staring eyes remained fixed on the arriving item that was sold to their owner.

"Misaki!" Shinobu cried. A tear of joy almost dripped down from the corner of his eyes. He was glad to see that the two weren't completely separated from each other, left alone to serve their cruel masters for all eternity. It was heart warming to see a familiar face, especially with all these foreign people, in an unknown country far beyond from home.

The guard led Shinobu closer to the two before finally shoving him towards them. The raven gazed at the boy with an amusing smirk on his handsome face. He reached out with his other free arm to pull the boy closer to the side of his semi-built chest. Both boys were now standing against each side of the raven. His arms were relaxed around, slightly underneath their shoulders, holding them like they were his property.

"Your transaction is now complete. Have a nice day sir."

"No worries and send my regards to Frank."

"Will do sir," the guard replied before returning back into Frank's mansion.

The blond was confused by foreign language communicated between the two. From his studies it sounded fairly like Italian, but Shinobu could only speak English and French. This was proven to be futile in attempt to decipher their words. A disadvantage to him if he couldn't understand what his captors were saying.

'Shit' Shinobu cursed mentally. Did this guy just purchase him and is he going with Misaki? The raven begun to guide the pair into his luxury limousine. Misaki was under the influence of the drug, impairing his cognitive and memory function. He was unaware of the activity surrounding him. Shinobu was merely suffering from moderate migraines, he remained completely aware of his surroundings. The three sat at the back, huddled in closely to one another.

The blond remained silent throughout the duration of the ride. The late night was dark, moonlight was obstructed by the thick clouds and cold foggy mist dimmed the vehicle headlights. Shinobu could not see the geographical scenery through the bleak haunting darkness. There was no street lights outside, the temperature outside was evidently freezing, condensation would develop whenever Shinobu's warm breath came in contact with the icy glass windows. Like a horror movie, the road was continuously straight, a never-ending path to hell.

"You seem pretty aware of your surroundings. I assume they didn't drug you enough," the raven spoke in fluent Japanese. Shinobu's head turned swiftly to meet the man's curious gaze. He was shocked to hear that the raven could speak his language.

"Umm, umm, how...?" the blonde stuttered incompletely, flabbergasted by the deception of his western features and sky-blue eyes.

"Oh you mean the Japanese? I once lived in Japan when I was little," the raven replied. A small smile curved innocently on his face.

"I was amused by your display this evening. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Armel Halyardir, may I ask for yours and your friend?"

Perplexed by the man's slight display of kindness, Shinobu replied in low voice, unsure whether he should trust this man or not. "My name is Takatsuki Shinobu, and my friend your holding over there is Misaki."

The language barrier between the two had been lifted, Shinobu begun to confidently question the man about his intentions. "Why did you purchase us for? You know I'm not going to be your bitch." He crossed his arms while demonstrating his arrogant like mannerism.

Armel's smile declined into an intimidating smirk. He placed his hand over at the other side of Shinobu's shoulder, pulling the boy's ear closer to his pale lips and whispering. "I own you and your friend, don't be so cocky just because I'm treating you nice." Shinobu froze, a sudden flush of fear swept through his body. He didn't expect such a condescending tone and devious remarks.

"But I must say Shinobu, your very interesting. You remind me of when I was little, the fear of losing someone... and stubbornness," Armel said before pausing for a some time, his face fell blank while he contemplated in deep thoughts. The handsome pleasant smile had faded and quickly transitioned into a blank stare. It was as if the raven had a split personality delving within his fully developed body. Shinobu was perturbed by his unusual behavior. Hence he assumed the man was mentally unstable or had experienced a traumatic past that had resurfaced from his memory chasm.

They had arrived at Armel's home after twenty minutes of driving. It seems that they didn't live far away from each other. Armel's place was secluded, the three story white sandstone and marble European mansion with a central double wooden front door, had an exotic garden of green hedges shaped into large cubes and spheres. The sparking lights in the fountains and garden lamps illuminated the front yard. The mansion like Frank's was situated in the country side which was surrounded by thick layers of pine forest and green moss. The fence that outlined the mansion was painted in royal gold, molded by strong steel metal that were approximately three meters high and have pointed sharp ends to it, preventing attempted trespassing or escaping.

The limousine pulled up to the main entrance, where the chauffeurs obediently opened the door for Armel. The three sauntered into the classy mansion. Misaki remained weak, his intoxicated body moved in its own accord, supported up by Armel. Shinobu's greys eyes lit, mouth gaped wide open after witnessing the interior beauty of the grand palace. This place was beautiful, it had a giant silver decorative chandelier in the centre of room and also a central staircase leading to the second floor. The walls were plastered with creamy white and golden floral decorations, dark brown oaks lined the corners of the room and rails of the staircase. The blond was amazed by the architectural and theming designs, making him feel like he had stepped backed in time during the Napoleon era.

"Beautiful place isn't it?" Armel chuckled lightly.

The blond nodded in agreement. After a bit of sight-seeing, the boys were escorted by Armel to a door behind the central staircase. Once opened they walked in, leading them downstairs to a cellar, or in other words Armel's prison. The hallway was long and narrow, each side of the room had four metal doors, a total of eight prison cells in the cellar. Each of the doors had a small metal flap at the bottom, designed for transferring food trays to their prisoners. The walls and floors were both made out of plain concrete. There were no vented heaters, no windows, making the environment harsher to live in.

"Oh these are your neighbours," Armel grinned widely while pointing past each cell.

Shinobu didn't smile, he felt terrified of this place, the luxury mansion held a dark secret. The visual beauty of this place only served as a deceiving concealment of the real nightmare that dwelled within these walls. Nonetheless Misaki and Shinobu were still yet to find out what fate awaits for them under the tyrannical rule of Armel.

Armel lead the pair to a metal door at the end of hall. Before he could open it, he handed Misaki over to Shinobu to hold. The blond held the brunette by his thin waist and upper arm. His milky white skin felt fairly soft, smooth and supple for a boy. He gripped on tightly to prevent the weak boy from losing his balance. Whilst waiting nervously, Armel searched for the correct silver keys he had retrieved from his right pocket. After several jingling noises, he found the right one and inserted the key into the small hole. The door clicked upon the action of the key turning inside the lock. The metal door was now opened and Armel motioned his left arm forward, signalling the pair to move into their cell. Shinobu hesitated to enter but given that he had no choice, he assisted Misaki into the room with him.

Glancing around to observe where they would be forced to stay, Shinobu frowned in dismay. The living condition offered to them was degrading, depriving them of their normality and confining them to solitary. An old gritty dirt covered single mattress was laid in the right corner side of the room. No furniture was to be seen, completely inhospitable for comfortable humans. Windows were absent, isolating them from the sun's bright warmth and preventing fresh oxygen flowing in to replace the polluted stagnant air. Luckily for them, Armel was kind enough to have a bathroom constructed on the left side of the room, segregated by thin walls but no door.

"Well boys this is your new home, I was only expecting to replace one of my slaves but turns out, I came home with two. So I guess you have to share. See you boys in the morning."

Armel closed the metal door behind them before locking it. Shinobu sighed deeply. His life had turned over dramatically. Was this the purpose of his life? Was it fate? Many questions ran through his mind, attributing to the growing stress. The blond help assisted Misaki to lay on the mattress, positioning him close as possible to the wall. Misaki's body shivered and trembled involuntary from the suppressing effects of the drug.

Feeling exhausted and fatigue, Shinobu wanted to rest. He laid down beside his friend, trying to squeeze his body to fit onto the single mattress. The night grew intensively cold, his chest tightened to insulate his internal core temperature. As much as he hated close contact with other people rather than Miyagi, Shinobu had no choice but to seek warmth from his friend. His face flushed bright red, he felt embarrassed and shy when he motioned his arm around Misaki's chest, drawing their exposed bodies closer for warmth. Shinobu tried to distract himself by thinking of something else. The nights they spent together on the ship was far more colder than this room. But luckily they were clothed during that dreadful period.

Not long after Shinobu shut his tired eyes to sleep, Armel's guard turned off the light switch, which was controlled at the entrance of the cellar. The room was now pitch black, just like the time when the pair were imprisoned in the lower deck of the ship. Shinobu's stomach begun to awkwardly grumble, breaking the dark silence. The poor blond was hungry, the pair had not eaten since the time they were on the ship, which was approximately two days ago. He silenced the grumbles by pressuring down on the muscular movements with his arm. The noise would eventually diminish after he had fallen asleep.

[~¥~]

Morning had approached, the room was still dark but not completely as some light from the hallway was able to penetrate through the gaps of the door. Shinobu awoke from his sleep, his stomach grumbled again. Moments later, the lights in the room switched on, the guard had turned on the power switch at the entrance. The blonde could see his friend still dozing off in his sleep. Not long later he could start to hear echoing footsteps, like the sound of clomping heels coming down from the hallway and heading towards their direction.

"Shit, its Armel. Wake up Misaki." Shinobu shook his friend's shoulder while he quickly sat up. Misaki's eyelids opened slowly, blinking a few times before finally opening his eyes fully to reveal the large emerald orbs.

"Shinobu wait, what, where are we? Why are we naked? I can't remember anything besides the time back at the place where the western man appeared." Misaki unsteadily sat up and placed his palm on the side of his temple. "Ahh my head feels heavy."

"We were sold together," Shinobu replied.

The pair could here someone whistling a tune outside their cell followed by the sound of jingling key noises.

"What?! Who were we sold to?!" Misaki panicked. He was about to find out soon.

The metal door swung opened and in came the blue eyed raven.

"Armel," Shinobu whispered to his friend.

Misaki's green eyes widened as he witnessed his master for the first time. Armel was holding a medium brown paper bag with his left hand while he swung the key rings around in circles on his right dominant finger.

"Oh your both awake now. Good morning my new pets. Misaki your awake too, that's nice. Here are your clothes and your hygiene items." The man pointed to the brown bag. "Chose any you want, I give you twenty minutes to shower and get ready for morning tea. My guard will escort you then. And if your not ready I will not hesitate to hurt you." The raven's grin faded, his expression fell stern before placing down the paper bag next to Shinobu's foot and turning to exit the room.

"How, how did he know my name? Did you tell him? How can he speak our language?"

Shinobu sighed. "Yeah he speaks our language, I was quite surprised too, plus I had no choice. Sorry, but I think we should get ready, I think that guy is a bit crazy."

"Its okay," Misaki replied lightly. "But I'm glad I'm still with somebody I know," he smiled slightly. Wait do they have showers here?"

"Yeah over there is a small bathroom," Shinobu pointed.

The pair opened the brown paper bag to reveal the clothes Armel had personally picked out for them. It had a whole set of clothes including underwear and also other items to clean their body and brush their teeth with. They segregated the clothes and items and split it among the two. To their surprise these clothes were quite exquisite. Both were given black long pants, nice black cotton slip on shoes and white long sleaved collar shirts with a folded crease design near the buttons. Both were given the same outfit and both took turns using the bathroom. The shower was cramped and the water was cold, the ceiling was cracked and the floor tiles were dirty and covered with dried blood stains and other gritty marks. Once they were ready they waited until the guard finally banged on the door three times.

"Times up, you hear me in there?!" the guard yelled before opening the door. A giant brute with short brown hair and long scar to his left cheek walked in. "Come on you two, the master is waiting," he barked in Italian.

The pair were escorted out of the cellar and into main hall before turning into the dinners hall. Misaki was astonished by the interior design. This man must be ten times richer than Usagi-san if he were able to afford such luxury. The thoughts of Usagi made him feel lonely and distant. He missed the touch of his lover's cold hands and the voice that told him repetitively; "I love you". The guard finally lead the pair into the dinners room, where they saw Armel sitting down, waiting patiently for the two to arrive. The table was long, the design was elegant brown and silverware for three were set out on the table. The giant room had humungous glass windows with creamy curtains tied in the middle by golden ropes, hooked to the side, enabling a beautiful view of the green exotic garden.

"Here they are boss," the brute indicated. He then left the two to idly wait for their master's next order.

"Are you two going to stand there all day or are you going to sit down?," the raven questioned coldly. To their trepidations, they obeyed his command, and took a seat in their respective creamy floral chairs. Satisfied by their compliance, Armel clicked his fingers.

"Bring in the food!" he ordered, signalling the kitchen maids to bring in the morning tea.

In came three maids wearing black and white aprons. They calmly placed each silver tray in front of each person on the table. The smell of warm syrup, hot pancakes and English tea wafted the room. Shinobu swallowed, he was starving greatly. Misaki stared in wonderment at the yellow pastry, this was his first time experiencing this type of Western styled breakfast combination.

"Well please do eat," Armel prompted politely. The two proceeded to consume their meal. Shinobu who seems to know how to eat this sort of breakfast poured the syrup on his pancakes before using a butter knife to slice his portion. Misaki copied his friend, the two ate in silence before Armel spoke.

"Are you two dating?" he asked curiously.

Misaki almost choked on his food when a piece of pancake became lodged in his windpipe. Whereas Shinobu accidently burnt his tongue with the hot tea from the absurd question.

Both boys frantically denied in unison" No no no, we're just friends!"

"Well that's a shame, both of you look so cute together." Armel chuckled lightly as he took a sip out of his tea.

Both of them blushed, Misaki's ears turned red while Shinobu's cheeks turned rosy pink. They continued to eat with an increased pace. The two felt uncomfortable around the presence of their master.

"ARGHHH LET ME GO! NO, DON'T TAKE ME TO HIM! " came the shrieking voice of a woman outside from the dinning room.

"How on Earth did that fucking bitch get back out of her cell?" Armel gritted. He immediately rose, displaying his domineering demeanor.

The cool atmosphere turned cold when two gangsters dragged in a young brunette woman by her arms into the room. Her desperate screams to flee erupted through the halls, causing everyone to turn their attention to the drama. The struggling woman appeared to be in her twenties, she had straight brunette hair that grew past her shoulders, her skin was pale and bruised. She was wearing nothing but a light pink short dress, similar to the ones they wore in bed with a very thin strap laced around the shoulders. The terrified woman was covered in tears, she had scars all over her bare skin. This was clearly a sad and traumatic sight for the boys to witness.

"You two were meant to get me Mr Ferdenchi's payment, why did you bring me this trash?" Armel scolded.

"We did sir but the man refused so we told him what options we had left, we've taken care of him. In the mean time while us boys were in town, we recognised one of your hoes. She reported to the police station, luckily we got one of our men working within that centre. Everything is quiet now."

Armel's subordinates were dressed in grey suits, but their overall appeal made them appear sinister. Their brown hair was slicked back with gel and some inked tattoos were visible around their necks and arms. Armel approached his men and the restrained crying woman. He looked down unsympathetically at her breaking down.

"Please I'm sorry I wanted to go home. Please forgive me Armel!" she cried, hoping that she could be forgiven.

The raven's stern expression transitioned to an enraged one. Her pleas would not affect his decisions to punish her disobedience.

"Two bitches killed themselves these few past months and now one of them manages to escape," he scoffed loudly.

"I'm sorry. Please I beg you, forgi—." she cried but was abruptly interrupted by Armel. The raven had ignored her imploration for mercy, he ruthlessly slapped her across the face causing her tumble backwards onto the floor.

Whimpering pathetically on the marble floor, Armel kneeled down to her level before grabbing onto a patch of brown hair, causing her to wince in dull pain. He turned to narrowly glare at the pair sitting at the table, they jerked in fear at his menacing sharp blue eyes. Armel returned his gaze to the helpless woman.

"I'll show you what happens when you put me in a bad mood you stupid bitch! Men take those two back to their cells!" the raven ordered.

He clutched tightly onto her hair and dragged her out of the room with brutal force. She kicked and screeched in harrowing pain when she was removed from the scene. Her distant screams faded as they moved further away from dinning room. Shinobu and Misaki glanced at each other in shock. Did that just happen?

After witnessing the true side of Armel, the two lost their appetite. They felt overwhelmed with emotions stirring with them. Not to mention they also felt sorry for the victim who had to bear the abuse. They prayed that one day neither of them would end up in her position. While they contemplated deeply in their thoughts, one of Armel's men approached the two.

"So you two are Armel's newest pets. I see he always treats his pets nicely on the first day and it seems his tastes might of changed as well. Must be bored of woman hahaha," the man spoke in clear japanese despite his appearance.

"What is he going to do with her? Misaki asked nervously.

"The usual, you'll find out once you know the true Armel. But I said too much. Come, lets drop you two back into your cell before I get in trouble by the boss."

The pair quickly rose up, afraid that they're suffer the same consequence as the woman. Once up, they were led back into their cells. Misaki slumped down on the edge of the mattress, he covered his face with his crouched angled knees.

"I need to get out of this place. I can't believe what is happening. This is too fast, I'm not mentally prepared for this. I want to go home, that guy was brutal how can he do that to a woman? I can feel her pain, just by watching her eyes. This is twisted!" Misaki cried. His emotions were never strong when it came to others suffering. Just like the time when Akihiko was left heart broken by his naïve brother.

Shinobu sat down on the mattress beside his friend. Emotions ran through both of them deeply, both were homesick, frightened and anxious but there was nothing they could do for now. They were caged in this hell hole like animals. Shinobu wrapped his arms around the crying brunette, providing comfort for them both. He was glad they weren't separated so far. Having someone share the same burden, made him feel better.

"We're not in this alone. We have each other. We feel the same pain, hold it in there. I'm sure they'll find us somehow." The blond gently rubbed Misaki's back in circles.

"Thank you. I'm glad I have a friend with me," Misaki whimpered before resting his head against his shoulder.

A tear ran down the Shinbou's eyes when he felt the brunette embrace him back. The two shared their pain together. Tightly holding onto each other, they sat there, slowly drifting off into their own minds, thinking of their lover's comfort.

Night had fallen, the pair were not fed lunch and the only source of water available was the shower tap. The pair had nothing to do except talk about their life in Japan, play childish hand games or nap. Misaki laid on the mattress with his head facing the ceiling while Shinobu curiously explored the door, touching each crevice, searching for any clues to help them escape.

"What are you doing?" Misaki asked.

"Looking for clues, planning a future escape plan, like that girl managed to escape but she was caught by the corrupted police. As expected from a rich guy," the blond replied whilst feeling around the door and motioning the small metal flap at the bottom of the door, back and forth.

"How would we escape? I mean think of how much guards we would have to avoid just to get out," Misaki added.

"Well a woman managed to. We should have more faith," Shinobu replied before turning to his friend.

"Yeah I guess so. That means we need to plan something."

"This might take a lot of planning and observation though. We must—Shit its Armel. I can hear him come," the blond panicked before pacing to the other side of the room and next to Misaki. The clomping footsteps came closer and the door swung open to reveal the giant brute instead of Armel.

"The boss wants to see you two. So hurry up and come! " the guard growled. His height was intimidating enough to terrorize small humanoid beings.

The two glanced at each other's face and gulped. What did Armel want from them two? The boys were escorted to the third level, and into Armel's private quarters. The room was decorative and had many luxurious wooden furnitures and ceramic vases. The king sized bed was massive and had a navy blue canopy with thin white drapes flowing down from the corners. Armel was seated on a red leather chair next to a live burning fireplace opposite to the bed. The guard nudge them into the quarters, before closing the double wooden door behind the pair. They shakily huddled close to each other, scared of what the raven was going to do to them. Armel noticed their behavior, it didn't surprise him after they saw what happened. Hopefully this was a lesson for them if they dared to escape.

"Come you two. Sit down, next to me." The raven pointed to the opposite sofa next to the fireplace.

The pair shuffled shyly towards their master's direction, Misaki followed behind Shinobu. The two sat down, their hearts paced at this rate. Armel smiled innocently as if nothing had happened this morning. There was a moment of silence before the raven opened his mouth.

"Entertain me," he requested.

" Huh?" they both glanced at each other in confusion.

"I'm bored. I didn't purchase you two to do nothing for me, so kiss each other already. Hurry up entertain me before I entertain you myself," the raven demanded.

The pair jerked in shock at the inappropriate forceful demand. Their body was only reserved for their lovers. This was preposterous. Just because he had purchased them doesn't mean he can force them into carrying out indecent acts. It was cruel and selfish. Misaki froze, he couldn't even initiate a kiss with Usagi-san, how was he suppose to kiss Shinobu. Sure they hugged each before but that's all he could do. Shinobu was feeling nervous as well, he glanced over to Misaki who was staring blankly at the floor before swaying back to Armel. The raven was staring at them impatiently with his glaring blue eyes, waiting for them to commence the act in front of him. Feeling pressured, Shinobu needed to initiate the kiss to meet the demands of Armel. The blond motioned his right palm on Misaki's cheek, pulling the brunette's face up, green eyes met grey.

"Just bear with it," Shinobu whispered quietly to his friend.

The blond leaned his head forward, tilting it slightly to plant a hopeless kiss. His smooth soft rosy lips parted when he kissed, but not widely enough to be considered erotic. When their lips meet Misaki felt shocked for a moment but after a few seconds, he slowly relaxed and parted his lips to let Shinobu kiss him. Armel stared at the two in frustration due to the lack of intimacy and hot tongue action.

"You two are hopeless, I've seen kids kiss better than you, where's the passion?! It looks like two demented fishes pecking each other!" the raven grumbled. The pair pulled back, feeling uncomfortable about the physical contact.

"Do you even kiss? Name you partners. Say their name, starting with you Shinobu, say their name," the raven pointed.

"Why?"

"Don't ask me why! Just do it! I'm training my pets to make love to each other, that's the reason why I purchased you in the first place. Now name them!"

"Miyagi Yo," Shinobu replied quickly.

"Hmm I don't know who she is but forgot about her. You adore me and Misaki now. Understood? Now say her name and end it with her. Say it!"

"Understood. Miyagi I swear that our relationship ends today cause I'm here with Armel and Misaki now." The blond tried to hold back a snicker when Armel assumed that Miyagi was a woman's name.

"Now your turn Misaki," Armel said, glancing over to the brunette.

Misaki felt nervous." Ummm, well, umm Akihiko... Usami.. I," the boy stuttered before he was suddenly interrupted.

"Did you just say Usami? Don't lie to me, whether it is a prank or not," the raven eyes glared sharply, his deep masculine voice grew louder.

"I'm sorry we're not dating. I'm sorry!" Misaki cried to defend himself. Did he just mention someone he knew? The name seemed to have triggered something. He shouldn't even have mentioned his lover's full name, he could of just made up a random name. Why did he say Usagi-san's name for? It was the spur of the moment and Misaki wished he had never opened his foolish mouth.

"If you are lying I will find out. And you will regret for lying to me!" the raven eyes narrowed icily into Misaki's green eyes. Their master was angry and his enraged frown gives it all away. Shinobu begun to feel worried for Misaki, he could sense a dark diabolical aura aiming towards his friend's direction.

"Both of you get out, now," the raven said while gazing blankly towards the burning fireplace. "What do you think your doing?! I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT NOW, BEFORE I BURN BOTH OF YOU ALIVE!" he roared on the top of his lungs.

The pair immediately stood up in petrified fear and scrambled towards the exit. They rushed to the door and quickly closed it behind them.

"What the hell was that for? Lets get out of here." Shinobu panted before sighing deeply. He felt slightly relieved after leaving that tense conversation.

There's no way he would abandon his love for Miyagi, no matter who made him say it. Looking over to his friend, Misaki was quiet, the brunette seemed upset about what just happened. Placing both palms on each side of the his shoulders, Shinobu warmly smiled.

"Hey its okay, maybe he's just having a bad day today. Plus we just got out of there safely. If he has anything against Usami, it's not like he is going to find out since your relationship was a secret," the blonde spoke softly to reassure his friend.

"I hope so, I just want to go home. I miss my brother and Usagi," Misaki murmured.

"We will one day."

"Oi you two! Where are you going? Are you escaping?!"came a loud manly voice. They both turned around to find the giant brute behind them.

"Umm Armel kicked us out. You can ask him yourself," Shinobu replied in English, hoping that the guard could understand.

"That doesn't mean you freely waltz around the mansion without letting me know," the guard snapped back in English, which surprised Shinobu.

"Now come. Get your asses back to your cells," he ordered before leading the pair back to their cells.

Once locked in, they headed for bed, it was getting late and by the time they laid down together, the lights were switched off. Sleeping with clothes on made them feel warmer, Misaki laid on his side facing the wall, he could feel Shinobu's head resting against his back.

Misaki tried to sleep but he could not. The stress was eating him. Today had been horrific for any young adult to experience or even be witnessing. One day into this place and it was already a nightmare. People like him were imprisoned in cells, forced to obey their masters or face being brutally punished just like that young woman. Never before had Misaki felt so down in his life, he felt torn and displaced of normalcy. Will he even go back to Japan? How was his lover going to rescue him from an organized syndicate? Was that poor woman going to be okay? Was his fate going to be similar to hers? Furthermore how did Armel know his lover? More questions begun to arise and it was driving him insane.

For now Misaki tried to block out the invasive thoughts. He curled slightly forward and lightly sniffled. He wanted his Usagi and he wanted him now. He wanted the comfort and the security. To tell him that everything was going to okay and that he loved him. If he had one chance to go back to tell Usagi 'I love you', he would do it. He did love his older partner but never had the guts to admit it over his shyness. That night, Misaki contemplated until tiredness inundated his active mind.

[~¥~]

"You called for me boss?" the giant brute asked.

"Don, have this sent to one of our subordinates in Japan, replicate the information and have it sent back to me. Keep my identity confidential will you, you have 48 hours to give me a reply from the counterpart," Armel said while holding a letter towards his loyal servant.

"Yes boss I will alert our men."

Don left the room. Armel sat in front of the fireplace staring blankly into the orange flickering fire. The room was dark and the only source of light was the fireplace, which casted an orange glow into the surrounding area. The raven's blue eyes were glimmered with unspeakable hate and malevolence.

He lightly mumbled while smoking a cigarette.

"Usami..."

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7 Golden Abyss Part I

**A.N:** ** _Hey guys sorry for late upload and thanks for the feedbank, I like constructive. Also I agree the first couple Chapters were fast, initially I just wanted to start with the auction part but I briefly covered how they got kidnap. So I hope you enjoy, the chapters get longer from now on._**

 ** _The follwing Golden Abyss series is different from Golden Lover's Abyss but they link so Golden Abyss is spread_** _throughout_ ** _the chapters. You will know the difference when you read the headings. So do read if you want to understand the storyline and new villians (woops spoiler alert)._**

 **{~O~}**

 **PART I GOLDEN ABYSS**

The sounds of clapping, joy and classical European music filled the halls of the Halyardir castle. Owning castles as a property was common for the wealthy citizens of Italy. The Halyardir family was one of the few families linked to royal heritage, their grandfather had two sons, Fredick and Richard. Living a life where everything was served on platter for them, the two sons were now twenty one. Celebrating their twenty first, the twins decided to have a unique traditional celebration, a masquerade ball. The hall was filled with elegant yellow roses, the marble falls were polished to perfection and the walls decorated with well define floral textures. Richard was a handsome man, his hair was dark brown, his eyes clear blue, resembling the character from fifty shades of grey, he wore a brown and white three piece suit with a v shaped vest.

For the celebration of his twenty first he was a given a golden masquerade mask from his father. The mask was made from real gold, crafted with a mixture of rare gems intergrated with diamond to make the mask more stronger. The right side of the mask was crafted into angel wings which winged out from the side of the mask. The design and value of the mask was so pure, his father said it was the best thing to give to his son. The boy strolled around the hall, mingling with the guests, praising their outfits and greeting them with his charming prescence. As he walked around toasting and sharing a glass of champagne with his guests, he turns to meet a beautiful woman he had never seen before. She was wearing a red kimono, her black hair draped towards her curvy hips, lips were red as roses with milky white skin. The mask she wore was a black mask studded with black diamonds that covered half her face. From that moment the Halyardir prince knew he had fallen in love on first sight.

The two introduced themselves that evening, the woman was named Hikira Yamano, she was Japanese and about the same age as him. The two dashed off from the party, where they flirted in Richard's quarters. Thus the two begun their forbidden romamce. Hikira was just a commoner, who was only invited to ensure that the interior design remained perfect for that evening. As a wealthy noble, Richard was not allowed to be involved in any serious relationships that were not approved by his parents. Without telling anyone, he would regularly visit her apartment in Rome. Hikira was studying at Rome whilst working as an interior designer, she had to depart back to Japan in two years but Richard begged her not too. Time passed quickly and with each passing day came sadness.

Their life became more difficult when the woman fell pregnant. If Richard's parents were to find out, Hikira would be forced into abortion. Shocked by the pregnancy, the woman broke into tears, she didn't want to leave the father behind. Nor could she stay after finding out that her only mother was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer. Richard looked into her black eyes and smiled.

" No matter how far we are from each I'll always love you and our unborn child,".

The woman smiled and wiped her tears from her face. His words gave her courage. She wanted to make her mother proud. She had one year left before she would return to her home, maybe her mother wouldn't mind having a grandchild. After all, how long was her mother able to live for. Her illness was slowly taking not only her life but Hikira's only family member.

Once the child was born, Richard would regularly come to visit Hikira's place to help her raise her son. Avoiding his brother and his parents was a bothersome as he had to make up excuses relating to work in order to see his family. Their son was named Armel, the boy was born a mixed race, he was beautiful, his parents loved him more than anything. The child was lucky enough to inherit his father's sky blue eyes. It was rare for mixed race children to inherit this sort trait from Western parents. The family would spend time together in their apartment only to avoid being caught by the Halyardir family. Armel was spoilt by his father. The child was not even one month and he had already received his first Louis Vuitton clothes set.

When one year had passed for them, Hikira needed to returned to Japan. Saddened by the departure, the couple embraced each other one last time together in bed. Tears rolled down both their cheeks, as they made love that was filled with passion. Once the morning had approached and after she had packed, the three had one last family photo. This was going to be their only one happy everlasting memory. After the family photo the man handed a farewell gift to his lover and son. Armel was given a red pendant with a silver chain. On the back it had his birthdate engraved in Roman numerals behind it. The length of the silver chain was long for the baby, however his father knew that his son would grow out of it once he becomes older. The mother was given money in cheque form to pay for her mother's chemotherapy and also to help raise their son.

It was finally time to say their final goodbyes. The three were standing at the departing gate for first class at the airport. Their son was cooing in the black pram, unaware that he was about to leave his father and Italy behind, for now. Richard reached for Hikira's wrist, he gripped lightly.

" I have one final gift before you leave," the man smiled sadly.

He bent down towards the pram and took out a golden box wrapped around by red ribbons from the nappy bag. Slowly he handed it to her and shook it slightly, prompting the woman to open the gift box. She smiled softly and slowly unbound the ribbons and opened the lid of the box to reveal what was inside. Her eyes widened in shock and her hands started to shake.

" I can't take this, its yours, gifted from your father!" the woman exclaimed as she stared down onto the golden mask Richard wore that night.

" I don't need it," he smiled warmly and glanced to look at his son cooing. " I know my father gave it to me but I want you to have it, look after it and pass it down to my son on his 21st birthday just like how my father did to me,".

Hikira smiled as tears of joy began to run down her cheeks. She kissed her man before finally embracing the him one last time. Richard could feel the distance already widening between his family. Turning to Armel he lifted his son up from his pram and kissed his white bubbly baby cheeks.

" Papa is going to miss you son,". The man then raised the baby higher and gave his son a rasperry blow to Armel's belly causing the baby to giggle and laugh. Both his parents awed at his cuteness. " Come visit Papa when you are older okay,". The man then proceeded to place the baby back in his pram.

"ATTENTION FLYERS FOR GATE 211 FIRST CLASS TO TOKYO IS NOW BOARDING,".

It was time to depart, they waved goodbye to each other.

" Arrivederci amore mio!" the man waved as he watched her descend towards gate 211.

" Arrivederci! ", the woman waved back.

The two then finally descended off to Japan, after exchanging a final wave and goodbye to each other. The two finally boarded the plane back to Japan, holding Armel in her lap, she rubbed his back and smiled gracefully at her son.

" Looks like a new life is waiting for us back in Japan ay my little one,".

[~¥~]

10 Years Later

Armel was sitting in the lounge room, facing the TV and grabbing two action figures, he lifted them up in the air and motioned the toys as if they were airplanes.

" Mum, I'm bored can we play some board games, these toys are getting boring".The boy waved the toys in front of his mother innocently.

" Yeah Yeah sweety, hang on mummy's on the phone," she said before continuing on with the conversation. The raven stood waiting for his mother to finish her conversation with someone he doesn't know on the phone.

" I told you, please I'll have the money for friggin idiots soon, just give me time, I said no this is my mothers house!" the woman yelled on the phone before breaking and sobbing. The young boy was shocked and confused to witness his mother's breakdown. She hadn't cried like that since his grandmother had passed away when he was only six years old. Armel missed his grandmother a lot, she was kind, caring and made the best meals he had ever tasted.

" Mum why are you crying? Mum?" the little boy asks.

Th woman didn't answer, turning to her son she wrapped her warm arms around the child, hugging him tightly.

" Its okay sweety, everything's fine, mummy's just having happy tears at the moment, get ready for school honey,". The boy was not convinced by this but he remained strong.

" Okay mum, are you sure you will be fine?".

" Yes honey, I'm just going through a girly phase. When I get home tonight I'll cook your favourite Katsudon, okay honey," Hikira smiled sweetly. Her motherly prescence would always soothe the boy's worries. " Now go get ready to go to school sweety, I'll see you tonight, walk safely,". The raven smiled at his mother unconvinced.

It was time for school and Armel was dressed in a green and white school boy's uniform with high socks. The uniform was similar to a Western primary school. Armel's mother had used the money given from his father to send him to a private school. His mother wanted him to have the best education for his future. Despite him attending a rich school, he was poor. His mother had used most of the money to pay for her mothers hospital bills, funeral and also a lot of expenses. The boy had to walk to his school since his mother had to go work. She worked in the city and had to drive far to just to get to work. Armel was left home alone most of the time but he didn't mind, he loved his mother a lot and understood the hardship she had to endure just to keep a roof on their heads and also to send him to a rich school.

He had arrived at the tall front gates of his school. The school had tall brick fences that surrounded the sandstone private school. Most of the kids that attended this school were the children of the wealthy citizens and some were even from Japan's most famous and powerful families. Armel felt like he was the odd one out. He feared that if they knew he was poor that he would be bullied. He was already self conscious about his blue eyes. He continued to saunter into the school grounds. Children from various age groups hung in groups in front of the school. There was the nerds, the plastics, the harajuku kids and the assholes that think they are popular. Armel headed to his classroom and not long after he walked past the other classrooms, the school bell rung, it was time for class.

Everybody was seated in their usual spots in the classroom. Armel was placed in corner, he was a quiet student and liked to hang in the chess club with his chess mates. He was known as the chessmaster and was never defeated, even though he had only challenged three classmates including his maths teacher. The raven rested his head on the desk waiting for the teacher to read his name out when they called out the roll. A silver haired child walked in the classroom, his prescence got the girls excited.

" Ah good morning Akihiko and Hiroki, come in, we're about to start the roll," the sensei smiled.

The two bowed and acknowledge their teacher, " Good morning sensei,". They both then went to their desks. All Armel could hear was the girls in front of his table giggle and whisper to each other.

" He's so cute,". " He's got purples eyes,". " He's from England, so beautiful, I bet he has an accent,".

" There goes the Usami fan club," the raven thought to himself.

The silver hair child had only been in school for a month and was already the centre of attention. Armel wasn't bothered by his prescence, the raven prefered to keep his distance from people. The class continued its usual way with the teacher at front babbling out educational nonsense. The raven had almost drifted off to sleep while scribbling on his notebook, the workload was excruciating and boring.

" Alright class, for social studies we are doing a poster presentation on Deforestation,".

" Deforesss...whaattt?" the raven thought to himself, as that last word that woke him up suddenly.

" Now since its a group assignment, I will allow only three people per group, you will present your work by next week,". " Now since we need to form groups, I shall give you ten minutes and if your not in a group I'll automatically allocate you to one,".

The girls in front of Armel got excited, the raven just sat there staring at them like they were the weirdest creatures who haven't seen a human boy before.

" Oh my god, I want to pair with Akihiko," squealed on of the girls. " I'm going to ask him,".

" Wait who says your the only who can ask him!" the other girl yelled.

Suddenly all the girls joined in the argument and all of them got up and approached the silver haired boy who was already paired with Hiroki. The girls surrounded them like a pact of hungry zombies ready to devour their prey.

" Hey Akihiko can we be your third person," one of them asked. "No pick me instead I'll get you good results,".

The room was filled with fan girls arguing and begging the silver haired boy to chose one of them. The teacher was starting to feel irritated, she placed her palm on her forehead in response to the level of the noise. Looking up to resolve the problem she scanned around the room to look for a candidate. She spotted Armel who was sitting in his corner desk, scribbling on his notebook. The teacher knew Armel was a shy child and who was also an academic achiever. He was always tied with Kamijou in grades, but he always surpassed him in maths and science. Armel however could not surpass Hiroki in literature and most assessments were literature based too. Seeing the boy sitting by himself as usually the teacher felt sorry for him, she knew a group of academic achievers would achieve the best results.

" Okay everybody silence, this is getting out of hand!". " Girls quit it with this nonsense, none one gets to be in Akihiko's group. Since you are all going to argue I am placing Armel in their group, problem solved,".

The horde of fan girls turned to Armel, their eyes filled with dissapointment. The raven felt nervous, he didn't like this negative attention. He could see Akihiko and Hiroki glance at his direction as well. The raven clutched both hands on his pants, trying to avoid eye contact.

" Now with that solved, I expect you to discuss things between your group for the next thirty minutes, after that its back to the board,".

Armel felt even more nervous now, he always hate group work. Should he head over there or are they coming to his direction? The raven looked towards the two, they appeared to be wating for him to move to the otherside of the classroom. Without a choice the raven began to gather his belongings.

Hiroki whispered to Akihiko whilst watching the raven gather his stationary equipment. " That kid is smart, at least its better than having the girls in our group,".

" Is he Japanese, why does his name sound Italian?" the silver haired asked.

" Probably, since first grade that kid doesn't really say anything, all we know is he is smart in mathematics and is good in chess,".

The raven had finally approached the two, feeling extremely nervous, his eyes looked down slightly to avoid eye contact before bowing.

" Good morning, my name is Armel Yamano, please take care of me,".

Akihiko smiled, he let out his hand towards the raven, inviting him to a handshake. The raven accepted it.

" This is how we great in England, Armel. You can call me Akihiko,".

The raven smiled slightly upon seeing the bright violet eyes. They shoke their hands before finally letting go. The raven looked towards Hiroki, the light brown haired stood with his arms crossed and leaning his hips against the table.

" We already know each other's name," Hiroki said arrogantly while staring at him.

Hiroki always wanted to achieve the highest in his class. The boy had always aimed high and needed to be competent at everything and with Armel as his competitor, it really brings down his self esteem. That was also one of the reasons he chose to hid in the secluded Usami garden when he was stressed. Although he had never complained to anyone about Armel, fearing that he might appear as a jealous failure in mathematics and science. Not to mention he was defeated by Armel three times in Chess, which left him to feel humilated. Sometimes he wanted to know how the kid studied, he was rarely seen focusing in the classroom and would often scribble random things. The raven was so secluded from others, people were used to ignoring him.

Since the three now had to discuss their project, Hiroki decided to take the lead. Armel remained quiet during the discussion and the two have decided to meet at Hiroki's place tomorrow to begin their project since it was Saturday tomorrow. Armel just nodded along with the whole concept, he didn't want the meeting to be held at his place. After all it was just a small typical traditional Japanese house that had been passed down to the Yamono's for two generations. After their discussion was finalised, they continued their day throughout school. The last bell rung and finally it was time to go home.

The boy returned from school that afternoon, he skipped along the concrete walk path. At the same time humming random tunes before turning to his house. He turned to find two men dressed in black at the front door. When Armel approached the wooden gates to his home, one of the men turned to him.

" Hey kid, your mother lives here, she still in there?"

" Umm she is still at work, what do you want with her?".

" Damn, the boss isn't going to be happy," the suspicious man complained. " Kid pass this letter to your mother, its from the Usami Corporations,". The man handed Armel the white envelope.

The raven stared at the letter, the men begun to make their exit from the property. The boy turned to see the men leaving into their black SUVs.

" Hey what do you want from my mother!" he yelled.

" We want you gone," the man smirked before finally closing the car door and drove off.

Armel sat in the lounge that evening waiting for his mother return from work. While waiting he caressed the red pendant that he wore since he was a toddler. Glancing over at the shelves full of framed pictures. There was one he always kept his eyes on. That was the picture of his family, with his father. He always wanted to meet his father, to see him and touch him. But his mother said maybe when he is older and has a good job to pay for himself and his mother as well to visit Italy to see him. The boy gazed in fascination at happy faces of his parents were making. Just as he touched the silver frame of the family portrait his mother pulled the car into the driveway. The raven waitied for his mother to enter.

" Armel- chan, sweety I'm home,".

[~¥~]

The dining room was quiet, his mother cooked her Katsudon specialty as promised.

" You seem quiet tonight Armel, is something wrong?".

Armel sighed and reached for the envelop out of his pocket and placed it on the dining table.

" Some guys from the Usami Corporations came to our house today they were looking for you and told me to give this to you. I asked them what they wanted from you and the man replied back to me that he wanted us gone. Mum please tell me the truth," the boy demanded.

Hikira's eyes widened in shock and disbelief at the news. He could see the tears that started to run dow from her eyes. The boy started to panic as well.

" Mum please tell me what is going on, don't keep it hidden in you. Were you crying this morning cause of this?!".

The mother wiped her tears away, " I'm so sorry Armel, I'm so sorry I've failed you as your provider,".

" Are you mad you have provided me, I don't care if you feel like your spending time at work, I love you mum,".

" I know sweety, but you have to understand,".

" Understand? Just tell me everything mum, please!" the boy begged as anxiety consumed him.

" Okay, okay,". Hikira took a deep breath. " Do you know why our neighbours are moving?".

" No, why, is it to do with the Usami Corporations ?"

" Yes sweety, they are a partnership with a construction company and want to build shopping complex over these old property and our property happens to be in our way. These companies are not with the government and therefore they use force and threats to get people to move out. Since we don't want to move out we have to pay a certain amount I can't affort since I spent most of the money for grandma's treatment and your school. We have the money to survive but I'm fighting for own home, the Yamono's family house and we're not going down without a fight," his mother smiled in lightly with determination.

" Yes we won't mother, we will not lose to these companies," the boy rose in determination as well.

" We are going to fight for our right," the boy slammed his fists on the table.

Hikira smiled lightly, she was proud of how her son took this information. Now it was time to find a way to convince the Usami Corporations to leave their property alone.

[~¥~]

The next day approached, Hikira had driven her soon to the Hiroki's address. They drove out the an area that was surrounded by forest. They finally arrive at the front of Hiroki's house, the place was huge and had a tall wooden, bamboo like fence surrounding it.

" Wow is this where rich people live," the raven said as he stared at fence whilst scratching the side of his head.

" Pfft sweety when you see your where your father lives, I'd say this is only one tenth the size, that man practically lives in a castle. Also I couldn't probably compare the interior design I have done, to be the best as that I have done over my..,".

" Yes I get mum you told me this story a million times about fathers birthday and how you met and dad raising me,".

Hikira smiled at her son, she was proud of him. The boy pressed the bell at the entrance to alert the owners inside. Not long after waiting, Hiroki along with his mother opened the gate. The mothers introduced themselves and their sons as well.

" Hello Armel, Akihiko will be here soon he just lives across the street,"

The raven smiled and waved lightly, trying hard not to embarass himself.

" Oh my is this Armel, nice to meet you, welcome. Well, is your other friend not here yet, I really want to see him, he's such a polite you boy," Hiroki's mother grinned as she heard Akihiko was coming over as well, she adored him.

" Hikira its so nice to meet you, I'm sure our sons will get along and not to mention you should meet Akihiko, he is the son of Usami Fuyuhiko,".

" Fuyuhiko?," Hikira stuttered. " You mean the owner of Usami Corporations?".

" Yes, the man himself is lives over across our street," Hiroki's mother pointed to the gate of the Usami property.

Hikira fell in disbelief. The owner of the company that is trying to destroy the future of the Yamono's was right across the street. The anger grew inside her to the point where she couldn't take it anymore. Armel could see his mothers reaction, he didn't know what to do. Seconds later the woman stormed off, leaving the others confused at her sudden departure. Hikira crossed the street and stormed off towards the Usami property.

" Mum wait!," the raven called out.

Hikira had already arrived at the Usami's front gate, ignoring her son's call she opened that gate which appears to be unlock. His mother opened the gate and walked into the property hoping she would confront the man.

" Mum wait, where are you going?!" the boy yelled whilst running after his mother.

" Keep up Armel, we got to teach someone a lesson,".

The raven had finally caught up to his mother. Trying to catch his breath, the two saunder towards the mansion. The property was full of forests and trees. It took them more than ten minutes just to reach the mansion.

" Are you sure you want to do this mum?".

" We have no choice sweety, they storm into our property, why can't we do the same,".

Armel clutched his fists in anticipation. Hikira approached the front door and knocked. The door opened and out came a middle aged butler.

" Good afternoon madam, welcome to the Usami residence, my name is Tanaka, how may I be of assistance?".

" I demand to see Fuyuhiko Usami immediately!,".

" I'm sorry madam but do you have an appointment with Fuyuhiko? ".

" You sure bet I do, we got some negotiating to do regarding construction and property,".

" I'll alert the master, please come in and I'll return with him madam,".

The butler slightly raised his right arm to invite the guests into the mansion. Armel was struck by amazement of the interior design.

" Please wait here sir and madam while I go find the master,".

The butler descended towards the stairs to the second level before disappearing. Armel and his mother stood there waiting for the Usami leader to come meet them. Hikira was still boiled from the letter she read last night. The letter demanded that she and her son would need to move before a certain deadline or pay a certain amount in order to extend their deadline. It was preposterous and she needed to do something to save her family's home. Armel was standing in the hallway, the boy was shaking, he was feeling extremely nervous about the situation.

" Armel?" a voice came from the side of the hall.

" Akihiko," the raven stuttered, surprised to see the lavender haired boy.

" I thought we are meeting at Hiroki's place?".

" Umm yeah, um about that..,".

" Fuyuhiko Usami will see you now, madam, follow me please me," Tanaka stood from the second floor on top the stairs.

" About time, Armel you can wait here with your friend if you want,".

"Huh.. wait mum!". The raven ran after his mother, he didn't want his mother to go by herself nor he did he feel comfortable with Akihiko.

Tanaka lead the two to Fuyuhiko's office. "Just to let you know madam, the master wants to make this a quick meeting as he needs to attend to other duties,". The butler then twisted the door knob and opened it. " I have brought the guests master,".

" Ah, invite them in,".

The two waddled into the open space office. Fuyuhiko sat behind a big wooden desk, his fingers were interwined on under his chin.

" You must be Fuyuhiko Usami,", his mother said in an uptight tone. She refused to bow to her superior.

" Yes that is me and who might you be?".

" My name is Hikira Yamano and this is my son Armel, we are from the Yamano residence, the residence that you intend to destroy, do you not recall my rejection?".

" Ah you must be that the one causing my company trouble with deadlines. First of all I never recalled having an appointment with a commoner such as yourself. Yamano please do yourself a favour for both of us and move out already before things get worse," the man grinned like he usually did.

Armel was distraught at what he had heard, the boy felt like punching the day lights out of the rich man. He could see his mother's frustration labelled on her face.

" For someone who doesn't care, that home is the only thing that me and my son have. There are plenty of open spaces, why my home?".

" Lady for all I know is that I am responsible for the future of this company and I will do what it takes to help my company prosper. However it turns out that your little home is in our way. So please I have other things to do, Tanaka will show you the way out and please move out by your deadline,". Fuyuhiko then turn to glance at Armel. " Well little one did you know your education, maybe your future will affected because your mother is not meeting her deadline, so tell her to move out if you want to stay in school,".

" Don't speak to my child like that, don't ever talk about my son's future like that!" the woman yelled before leaping onto the man in rage.

Hikira grabbed onto the man's collar shaking him back and forth like a rag doll. Armel had never seen his mother this fury before. The boy watched in fear as he saw the drama happening right in front of him.

" Arghh, are you crazy, TANAKA GET THIS WOMAN OFF ME !".

Tanaka heard the noise, he immediately comes in and tries remove the woman's grasp from Fuyuhiko's collar. Hikira refused to let go, she tightened her grip.

" Revoke you plans now!" she screamed constantly in his face.

Fuyuhiko had enough and with all his strength he stood up and pushed the woman as hard as he could causing her to stumble to floor head first.

" MUM! " the raven cried. He ran to his mother and wrapped his arms around her upper body.

" Don't hurt my mother!" he yelled as tears ran down his face.

Fuyuhiko tried to catch his breath, his butler at the same time trying to calm him down.

" You think you could barge into my home and act how you want, you stubborn woman. Face it you are going to lose your home and I mean it, even better go live in the streets! Now get out of here!".

" No I will not give up my home you bastard!". Hikira refused to leave, it was to settle this now or never. She stood back up and cursed at him. Armel was fired up now as well when Fuyuhiko taunted them.

" Tanaka call the guards, GUARDS! Get this pyscho woman out of here now!".

Not moments after the blasted argument, a couple of Usami guards dressed in black suits bursted into the room. They grabbed onto Hikira's arm and Armel's as well, pulling them out of the room. His mother resisted clawing the guards arm. Armel did the same as his mother, they wanted to fight for their right. The room was filled with screams of cursing and struggle. His mother was the first one to get dragged out followed by Armel but they boy fought back latching onto the sides of the door like a monkey.

" Usami how can you do this to us?" the boy cried still latching onto the door with both his arms while the guard was tugging his legs in the air.

" What are you doing you stubborn kid, get off my door already! Your stubborn like your mother!".

Hikira screams could be heard throughout the hallways as she struggled. The boy still latching on door tried to convince Fuyuhiko once more.

" Please Usami, don't do this to us, please,".

" Nghh, this stubborn child is giving me a sore headache, get him out already!".

The guard tugged harder, eventually causing the boy to lose his grip.

" Usami please don't do this!".

" USAMI! ", Armel suddenly woke up from nightmare. His body was covered in sweat on his now full grown adult body as he hyperventilated in anger.

That dream was always a constant reminder of one part of his miserable past. He had a lot of troubles in his life but he blamed that one event in his past as the one that start for all the miserable things that had happened to his life. He blamed the whole Usami clan as they were all linked to that corporation. He blamed them for the loss of his family house, the loss of his normal life and the loss of both his parents.


	8. Chapter 8 Time Zone

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN JUNJOU ROMANTICA

A.N: _Hey guys, hope you enjoy this new chapter._

 _Please review, your feedback can help me improve thanks._

 _LOVE OWLSIES_

 **{~O~}**

 **Time Zone**

Shinobu woke up to find himself faced down on the cold concrete floor, he must have rolled off the bed or someting. The blond looked towards Misaki, the brunette slept with his arms and legs sprawled out on the single mattress. The blond groaned as he lifted himself off the floor and moved the brunette's limbs to the side, making room for himself to sleep on. It was too early and the floor felt cold. The blonde adjusted his position on the bed, fidgeting to get the right position where he felt comfortable in. Once he had finally found it, the blond shut his eyes and used both of his arms as pillows to support his head. A slight crawling sensation tickled his hand. The blond ignored it. The tickling started again, this time it heading down towards his arms. Shinobu lifted his head slightly to see what was touching him, upon looking down he saw the movement of a big black bug next to his head. Letting out a loud shrill, the blond brushed the bug away. Unable to determine the species due to the lack of lighting, the boy hoped it wasn't poisonous.

" Nnnnnn, what is going on?" Misaki asked as the shrill woke up the brunette from his sleep.

" Nothing, its just a stupid bug, can't tell what sort though, probably a cockroach, who knows how dirty this place is,".

" Did you just say cockroaches?". The brunette sat up slowly, still feeling sleepy as one of his eyes was still droopy.

" What are you scared of them?".

" Not scared I just dislike them thats all, besides your the one who starting screaming,".

" I didn't scream, it was out of surprise,". The blond slumped back down on the bed, " Besides go back to bed, who knows what Armel might do to us in the morning,".

Misaki sat there frozen, he suddenly remembered what happened that evening. He had only two hours sleep due to the constant thoughts of Usagi-san and Armel. Not to mention Shinobu's fear of bugs that woke him up. They could of escaped that night, if if wasn't for that stupid guard who had caught them and also if Misaki's emotion didn't slow them down.

" Hey are you alright, your just sitting there,". Shinobu now started to sit up as well, their bodies now at the same level. " Is this about that Armel guy?".

" Yeah, I'm just feeling stressed, just need the time to relieve it but the more I think about it the more I want to know how he knows my lover,".

Misaki started to crouch forward, resting his chin on both his knees. The blond proceeded to rub his back in circles, hoping that it would soothe the boy. The brunette sat faced down, he didn't say a word. Worried about his friends health, Shinobu placed his left hand on the brunette's shoulder.

" Hey let's back to sleep you need it. I'll give you warmth if you need it,".

Misaki sighed deeply, he raised his head to face his friend. " Do what you want, I doubt I get much rest anyway,".

The brunette leaned back, he turned his body to face the wall. Shinobu begun to wrap both his arms around Misaki's upper body. This brought memories of the time Usagi-san would embrace Misaki like this, his broad shoulders and body could envelop the younger man's body due to his size. Shinobu's embrace was different, it wasn't like Usagi's, but it was cosy enough for Misaki and the boy felt more warmer, he liked it.

[~¥~]

Beforehand, after Don was given the letter by Armel...

" So the boss wants this letter to be replicated electronically, have the instructions messaged to our subordinates in Japan. The boss expects a reply from our men within fourty hours,".

" Mmmmm," the four eyed worker hummed as he read the letter. Scratching his bold head he proceeded to type the letters instruction through email. The computer of course was advanced and encrypted, this was how criminals were able to communicate and send money through to each other. Armel had hired the most genius and loyal IT technical staff to handle his communication and bank account. Of course the man himself will often sometimes too check his account to ensure no one runs off with his money. Doing so will result in the death penalty by pouring acid down their throats. Not a very pleasant thing to imagine but yet no one within the technical department had been sentenced to such torture yet. It was heard that the torture was done only on exposed spies once their interrogation was over.

The bald worker continued to type on the computer, sending the orders from Italy to Armel's subordinates in Japan. It was up to Japan's end now that their orders are recieved and to complete the task that was given to them.

"Almost done and then, send,".

The worker finally pressed send. " The orders have been sent through now and I am going to Piarcho Strip Club,". The man stood from his office chair and grabbed his leather fur coat before exiting the secured computer room." Tell the boss I'm out,".

Don nodded but remained in the computer rooms, his next duty was to ensure the security of the mansion.

[~¥~]

7 Hours Later, it was the morning time for European countries, although in Japan time it was the evening.

(Knock Knock Knock!)

" Usami, Usami, Akihiko! Opened you door now, you've been locked up in your room for four days straight!" came the voices of Aikawa and Isaka.

The two from Marukawa publishing company have been extremely worried about their highest selling author. Since Misaki's disappearance Akihiko refused to submit his manuscript or see anyone besides the detective and Takahiro. The silver haired man laid on his double bed listlessly with Suzuki on his face.

" Akihiko if your not going to open your door, Isaka and I are going to knock this door down!".

" Oh Akihiko, please don't be like this, I know you miss your Chibi-tan but you haven't responded to our calls!" the director yelled.

" I don't think he's opening up Isaka,".

"Then we've got no choice,".

Isaka prepared himself to knock open the locked door. For all he knows Usami might be dead if he hadn't been picking up his calls for the past few days. Aikawa stood behind the director waiting for the man to break down the door. The man took back a few steps to prepare himself for the impact.

" 3, 2, 1, " the man puffed. " Ready here I come aghhh!". ( BERNG!)

" Nghhhh," the man groaned while holding his injured shoulders.

" Well that didn't work," Aikawa complained.

" Are you okay Isaka?".

" Yeah I'm fine,".

Isaka still clutching onto his shoulders before releasing his fury on the door by kicking it.

" For the love of God, stop it and leave me alone! " a voice roared from inside the bedroom.

" Well well that finally got your attention ey buddy,".

" Woo he responded," Aikawa clapped in joy feeling relieved that Akihiko was still alive.

" Hey Akihiko, open up pal, you've been there for a long time. How about we go for drink, what do you think?".

" No leave me alone, go back where you two came from!".

" Aww come on don't be like that, how about we let you off for a few months if you come out and talk,".

There was a moment of silence waiting for Akihiko to reply. Isaka knocked lightly once again.

" Akihiko? Everyones worried for your well-being. Come out me and Aikawa will shout your dinner. Akihiko?". If it makes you feel better we can go for drive after that to look for Misaki,".

After few moments of silence, the door unclicked and began to open. Out came Usagi, his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were tear stained with messy silver bed hair, he was basically a mess.

" Wah you look horrible my friend, lets get you some fresh air," Isaka grinned widely.

" Wooh Akihiko your a mess, are you alright? the woman looked with concern. She knew this was not the right time to talk about deadlines for the manuscript.

" Yeah Yeah whatever, lets just get out here," the silver haired man complained.

The three headed towards the exit of the apartment, Isaka decided to take Akihiko out to clear his mind. Aikawa was brought along just in case Akihiko got drunk and the two had to drag him back to the apartment.

Despite how things are going right now, the most important thing to do for the Isaka and Aikawa was to keep Akihiko from going insane, the last thing they want him to do is quit his job. Afterall Marukawa depended on big shot authors like Akihiko Usami.

[~¥~]

After Misaki's and Shinobu's disappearance, more teenagers and young adults were presumed missing. All kidnappings had occur in a seperate area and not once were the kidnappings done twice in the same area, except for Shinobu and Misaki's case . The police are trying very hard to find the culprits and since the kidnappings and many residents refused to let their loved one wander the streets alone. The photos of the missing people were plastered and were hung up everywhere along the streets, including convenience stores, street poles and especially in Mitsuhashi university. The university had hung mainly the two faces of their missing students. These papers were also handed out to all the students by staff workers to ensure that their students ; Misaki Takahashi from 3rd year Economics and Shinobu Takatsuki from 1st year Literature were found. The huge emphasis of these handouts was to help spread out the news within the university. The Dean had ordered for the staff to alert students as well as to try to at least find some clues on his missing son.

Miyagi could not stand these handouts, the more he looked at Shinobu's missing handout with his student photo on the front, the more pain he felt. It was like a knife stabbing repeatedly into his chest whenever he saw his lover's face on the paper. The black haired professor sighed as he marked his students exams whilst smoking the same time in the literature office. The man was unmotivated for his job, the marking was giving him a headache especially when reading the short answer responses from the students. Some answers were ridiculously stupid however being unmotivated he would just tick or cross the answers and flick to the next page, hoping that he would finish early and head home to drink and drown his sorrows. Hiroki stayed behind in the office as well, for he had a lot of paperwork to fill. Especially reading over and remarking Miyagi student's test papers.

" Miyagi if your going to continue marking like this, might as well pass the whole entire freaking class," Hiroki complained as he shuffled through the test papers.

" Yeah, yeah I know but thanks for helping me anyway," the black haired mumbled softly.

Hiroki turned to glance at his friend. He could tell the man hadn't had that much sleep from the sign of the bags under his eyes. The professor's teaching had been unenthusiastic, he would mumble occassional and sigh a lot during his lectures. Hiroki only wished for his friend's happiness and normal behaviour to return. He missed the cheeky professor that he once knew and also his clingy greetings. All Hiroki could do now for friend was let him grieve, only time will tell, maybe Shinobu will be found and things will back to the way they used to be.

" You should go rest, I'll mark the rest of the papers,".

" No I'm fine, really I'm just tired," the professor groaned.

" No I'm serious Miyagi, today you've accidently walked into the wrong lecture room, you smoked two packet of cigarettes and right now your just putting cross and ticks all over the test papers. You need to go home and rest,".

" How can I rest when someone you love is gone, how do I even know if he is alive, god I'm so hopeless," the professor complained as placed his left arm on his head to scrunch his hair. "The worst thing is when I can't even confess my relationship to the Dean. With his son missing sure I'll get fired or accused for being involved in some adolescent trafficking ring. I can't even be informed of any news from the police since I'm not even a family member".

There was a moment of silence between the two before Hiroki decided to comfort his friend.

" I know you are grieving but don't push yourself too far, your health is important as well. Also with that said if you got nothing tonight come join me and Nowaki at the bar after work. I'm sure Nowaki won't mind. I'll finish marking your student's exams by tomorrow night, if that makes you feel better,".

" No you two go enjoy yourselves, I'm fine,".

" Guh, you say your fine but seriously, you should see yourself right now, just come and have a couple of drinks with me and Nowaki. Besides he should be here any minute,".

" Fine but do drag my sorry ass back to my apartment if I loose my head,".

" That should no problem, I got Nowaki to help me with that,".

" Ha, I forgot that kid was tall,".

A few seconds later the office door opens, " Hiro-san I'm here, let's get something to eat," Nowaki grinned.

" Ah just in time, how was work?".

" Work was good Hiro-san, they let me off early from work today. The children didn't want me to leave, so I guess I have to make it up to them tomorrow,".

" I see, well Miyagi is coming along,". Then he mouthed the words " depressed " when the professor wasn't looking. Nowaki understood what his lover meant since Hiroki told Nowaki about the professor's relationship. Nowaki used to feel uncomfortable around the professor but until he found out that the man had someone else that he loved, this made him trust the man a little bit more.

" Theres no use to standing around, might as well start going," the professor mumbled as he put out his cigarette before standing up and grabbing his coat.

" So have you decided where we're going yet Nowaki?" Hiroki asked.

" Yeah there's a restaurant and bar nearby, unless you guys feel like you want to go somewhere else,".

" No anywhere is fine, right Miyagi?,".

" Yeah Yeah, anywhere will be fun as long as there is alcohol,".

The three decided to go drinking, coincidentally on the same time and day as Akihiko. The three bumped into the author during their arrival to bar. Hiroki and Akihiko exchanged quick greetings but later seperated into their own ways that night.

[~¥~]

(Bang, Bang, Bang!)

" Foods here scums !".

A tray of food containing salad and a bread loaf was slid underneath the metal door. The strong knocks woke up the pair from their rest. The lights have been switched on, luckily it wasn't bright enough to disturb their morning eyes. Shinobu let out a yawn and stretched out his arms in the air. Misaki had bags under his eyes, the lack of sleep drained his energy. The boy needed something to eat to regain his strength. The blond stood up, stretching his legs a bit before he walked towards the plate of food. In the corner of his eye the blond saw a huge black cockroach crawl its way slowly towards the food before stopping on it tracks upon sensing danger.

" Misaki we got competition, how do we kill this thing!" the blond yelled. " You got something to squish it with?," he turned to Misaki. " Oh shit the food, stay away you vile creature!".

The blond sprinted towards the door to quickly grab the food of the floor and back to the bed. The brunette started to laugh as he thought it was hilarious to see Shinobu act so afraid because of an insect.

" What's so funny?", " That thing was going contaminate our food," the blond complained.

" Fufufu no your reaction to that bug was hilarious you should have seen your face,".

" Well I suppose your the one whose going to be killing it, its still right on the floor right now,"

" I'm sure if it had feelings you'd probably hurt it,"

" Then I suppose you will be the one gladly to share your portion with your new friend,".

Misaki continued to laugh it off, Shinobu was glad to see his friend smiling after all the commotion from yesterday. The blond placed the plate on the floor next to the mattress, looking back at the entrance, the cockroach had scurried off into crevices of the walls. Shinobu grew up in a middle class wealthy family, he barely had to deal with dirty insects in his home. If there was one, a maid or someone he knew get rid of it instantly. Misaki on the other hand had experience with bugs since his brother was always working leaving Misaki to deal with the insects himself. The pair began to separate their portions, Shinobu ripped the bread loaf in half, " Here's the bread loaf,". Misaki grabbed his portion of bread loaf and bit into the hard crusty pastry.

" This bread must be old, its so crunchy,". Each bite created a crunching noise. " But at least we get a variety, they even gave us some healthy vegetables,".

Shinobu glanced at the greens, " Hmmm,". He analysed the mixture of vegetables, they were given leaves of spinach, lettuce and tomatoes but no salad dressing. The two munched away their portions, once finished, they stared at the empty plastic plate.

" What do we do with this?" the brunette asked curiously.

" I think we just slide it back under the door,".

" What happens if he doesn't like it when we do that?".

" Wait I have an idea, I know this may seem stupid but its better to have plans then none,".

" What are you suggesting Shinobu?".

" If they want the plate and we refused that means the guard will be forced to open the door to come and get it,".

" I don't see the point of that its not like we are going to take out that oversized giant out there with a plastic plate,".

" I'm not finished yet. Anyways what I was trying to say is that, people who escape these situations can turn the simplest objects into weapons. You see in there," the blond pointed. " We still have a whole tube filled with mint toothpaste, we could use that to aim for his eyes. We wait for him to demand for the plate, we refuse, he opens, I distract him and you squeeze the tube and aim for his eyes. We are men, we should have no problem taking out one guy,".

As good as it sounds, one does not simply use toothpaste against the army of an Italian criminal mastermind. Miski sighed and scratched the side of his head, " You know we're going to need a better plan than that if we do want to get out this place,".

" I know, we need more knowledge of this place, the guards, their shifts and everything,". The blond turned to look straight at Misaki. " What we need is knowledge from that lady and how she got out. If we do, we can implement it but tweak it a bit to make it better,".

" So how do you think we can talk to her? I hope she is still okay,".

" I don't know Misaki, but all I know is that we're going to be here for a while,".

The blond stood up and headed towards the bathroom, " I'm going to scout around for clues that might help us escape, feel free to help if you wish,".

After the blond decided to scout the bathroom, Misaki began to also look for clues. Moving his head in different directions to search for clues, he looked down on the mattress he was sitting on. "I wonder if this mattress has any springs in it?".

 _CLANG_!

" What was that?". "Shinobu are you alright?".

" Yeah I'm fine, come take a look, I think I found something useful,".

The brunette proceeded to investigate what his friend was up too. Shinobu was holding a dirty white lid that belonged to the toilet's water tank.

" Look," the blond pointed to the metal piston inside the toilet tank. " We could plan to use those thin metal sticks as weapons,".

The brunette motioned his head to peer down into the toilet's water tank. Inside was two thin metal bars that helped pushed up the toilet plug when it flushes" They're a bit too thin, but I suppose if we figure out something, they might come in handy in the future,".

Shinobu placed the lid back on its place.

" Well I'm going to get cleaned up now, especially since that bug crawled on me. We found some useful items though".

" Yeah, better than none but anyways I wait till your done then,".

The brunette proceeded to exit the bathroom, leaving Shinobu to clean himself.

 _Bang, Bang, Bang_.

The hard knocks from the door came again.

" Oi you little shits, you slide your plate under the door when your done or I'll slide your necks under it myself!".

The voice was in english this time and Shinobu understood it.

" Misaki he wants you to slide the plate under the flappy thing!" the blonde called from bathroom.

Misaki did as what the guard requested from them. The blond continued to shower in the cold water. At least they both knew what they had to do with the plates once they're done.

[~¥~]

(Smash! Glass shatter SFX)

A whiskey glass cup was shattered when Akihiko slammed the glass cup with extreme force after he demanded more whiskey. This action caused everybody in the bar to turn their heads to the author.

" Woah Woah okay, I think you had enough to drink now Akihiko," the director said, at the same time prying Akihiko's arm.

" No I not, hic, dun yet, hic need to refill on Misaki,".

" No you had enough to drink now, lets go for a drive to find Misaki shall we," Aikawa suggested. The woman held the author's left arm, while Isaka quickly paid the bartender before grabbing hold of Akihiko's right arm and placing it over his shoulders.

" Easy now, you don't want to trip,".

" Misaki, I need my Misaki," he mumbled.

" Come on Akihiko, we're going to find him now, just come for a walk with us,".

The two carried Akihiko towards the exit of the bar. Passing customers would eye the three as they help assist the author to the car park.

Meanwhile on the other side of the bar, Miyagi was on the verge of between tipsy and drunk.

" You know Nowaki, your are so lucky to have Hiroki. He is a great friend so look after him. My lover was taken from me and I didn't even have the chance to tell him I love him. So tell Hiroki you love him. Tell him everyday that you love, tell him in the morning, tell him in the shower, tell him till he gets sick of hearing it," the professor rambled while holding onto the bottle of liquour and pouring it into his glass cup.

Nowaki just sat there and nodded at the drunken professor rambling on about his Hiroki. The conversation was making the associate professor feel a little bit flustered.

" Okay Miyagi, I think thats enough sake for you," the light brown said as he reached for the bottle of liquour.

" No I'm not done yet, I want my Shinobu. I want my dirty blond back. I don't care how bad his cooking is. I want him back," the professor whimpered before starting to sob in a public bar.

Hiroki and Nowaki glanced at each other. How were they supposes to calm Miyagi down in public. The best method was to send the professor home. Of course the two had to carry the professor out, although Nowaki was the one who had to do the most carrying.

" Hang on Akihiko almost nearly there," said Isaka. Akihiko continued to mumble randoms things including his lover's name as the alcohol numbed his tongue.

" I see someones been drowning his sorrows," came a familar voice.

The two stopped and were surprised the see Akihiko's brother and father outside the bar standing in front of their black luxury car.

" Haruhiko, Fuyuhiko?! What are you doing here?".

" Evening Isaka," Haruhiko greeted before beginning to approach the three. " We happened to pass by after a meeting, and I say I'm not surprised to see my brother in this state. Its alright Isaka we will take Akihiko from here,".

" Are you sure? We were going to take him back to his apartment," the director explained. He glanced over to Akihiko who seemed to have drifted off to sleep.

" Its okay," Fuyuhiko stepped in. " He's my son and I care about his well being. We've been worried about how he's coping without the prescence of his lover. Haruhiko and I will take him back to the Usami residence, where we will look after him".

Aikawa and Isaka glanced at each other before finally nodding to accept the Usami's offer. The two untangled Akihiko from their shoulders and handed the drunk author to his brother. Haruhiko reached for his brother and assisted him into the backseat with his father. Haruhiko procceeded to head back into the driver's seat and drive off to their home leaving Aikawa and Isaka behind at the bar. Akihiko was unaware of this situation, the alcohol had suppressed his conscious causing him to dose off and also mumble Misaki's name continously in his sleep. Fuyuhiko was concerned for his son as he was unable to properly take care of himself. Sure he was home alone before then but he had maids before to help him clean his house. Despite how far Akihiko would push his father away, Fuyuhiko tried his hardest to become involved in his son's life. No matter how much Fuyuhiko tried to seperate Misaki and Akihiko, he admits to himself that he does miss that boy whom he can share his hobby of wooden bear carvings with.

[~¥~]

" And they have taken off, this our chance to get some solid evidence. You recorded their conversation?".

"Yep," the accomplice replied who was wearing headphones and working on the super high tech equipment designed for espionage. " From the conversation, I hear the word lover but not specifically that name the boss requested,".

The two spies had been sent from Armel and have been able to track down Akihiko by stalking his editors leading them to their target. The pair had been listening to the conversation outside the bar the whole time in a white cleaning van. The van from the outside looks like a van for a cleaning company however in the inside of the van, it was equiped with monitors, computers and high tech equipment.

" Guess since he's with his family, we'll need to gather evidence that Armel's slave is linked to that author and his family. Come let's go before he gets back or someone finds us,".

The van sped off and headed towards Akihiko's apartment. It was getting late and barely anyone was seen wondering around the premises. The accomplices applied on their gloves and black mask beanie and headed to the entrance of the apartments. Hacking the door system they were able to gain access into the building. Upon arriving at Akihiko's front door, they pick locked the door and infiltrated the apartment. Scanning around the large apartment, they split for their search. One searched downstairs while the other searched upstairs. They searched through drawers, under beds and in closests. They tried hard to not disturb the natural environment of the apartment and to leave no evidence behind, this was one of the strict orders of Armel.

The accomplice downstairs was not having any luck with finding any evidence but found a room full of bears which resulted in an avalanche of bears to fall and pile on top of him. The man groaned and had to place all the bears back into the room. On the other hand the accomplice upstairs on the second floor had a troublesome job finding the right room that belonged to Misaki. The man opened to find rooms filled with Marimo, Eels and the Great wall of China. It was chaos and the apartment felt like a museum rather than a normal apartment. It was worse when the man explored Akihiko's room. The amount of toys that was laid out on the floor made it difficult for the man to explore. Annoyed by the toys he kicked the toys aside, hoping that Akihiko wouldn't notice. The accomplice continued to examine the and shuffle through the author's drawers next to the bed. Ignoring the items that were used in love making sessions, the man found photos of Akihiko with Misaki together. This was evidence that the two knew each other but it was not solid enough. The man took out his camera and took photographs of the photos.

After conducting a full search in Akihiko's room, the accomplice procceded to another room, this time he had reached Misaki's room. The man entered and headed for the drawers in the desk. Opening the drawers the man saw Misaki student ID which matched the photos he saw in Akihiko's room. The man took out his camera and photographed the ID. The man then later continued to scan through the room with his flashlight. The man could see framed photographs of Misaki and his brother. He could also see manga magazines and the Kan indicating that this was indeed Misaki's room.

The man was about to leave when he noticed something odd that young adults aren't usually in too. Beside the desk was a large wooden bear carving with six salmons. On the bottom a labelled gift note that was attached to the bottom the carving. The man bent down towards to floor to read the note:

 _To Misaki Takahashi, it was nice for you to give me the wooden bear carvings as a gift. On my trip I found this bear with six salmons. I look foward to having lunch with you one day over this matter, from Usami Fuyuhiko_.

" So this kid really does have connections with the Usami's, that explains why that author was drunk today," the man thought to himself.

The man took one last photograph, this was enough evidence for today. It was time to leave and do some reporting and to also see whether the boss wants any further investigations as for Misaki's relationship with the Usami's has been exposed.


	9. Chapter 9 Eternal Pain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica**

A.N: Sorry this chapter took longer then expected. From now on if you want live updates check my profile.

Thanks guys, enjoy :D

 _Warning this chapter contains torture and moderate non consensual yaoi smutty scene._

 **{~0~}**

 **Eternal Pain**

" Misaki, please don't go. Misaki please don't leave me," Akihiko whimpered in his sleep. He tossed and turned and clenched his fist in his sleep as his nightmare toyed with his mind. Sweat began to cover his body as he hyperventilated.

In his dreams Akihiko was surrounded by darkness and thick mist. Not far away he could see Misaki with his back towards him. The brunette was sobbing but did not turn to face Akihiko. The boy was wearing the same clothes from the day he was taken. Akihiko was glad to see his lover and wanted to comfort the sobbing boy. But as he got closer the distance between them widened, it was like Akihiko was getting pulled back even when he was walking forward. The man tried to sprint but his movement was extremely slow, like everything was in slow motion. Misaki continued to sob, Akihiko was still trying to sprint towards his lover. The man called out to his lover but there was no reply only sobs could be heard. As the man got more closer, patches of blood begun to slowly diffuse from his skin and staining the back of his clothes. As he got closer and closer more blood begun to seep from his clothes and even begun to drip onto the floor. Akihiko was frightened by this seen, he slowed down and stared in horror as his lover started to cry in excruciating pain as if something invisible was cutting him.

" Misaki! MISAKI! MISAKI!, " the silver haired man yelled on top of lungs over and over again.

Misaki's levels of screams increased, this time causing the boy to turn and tumble towards the floor. His screams pierced the ears of the silver haired man. From the fall Akihiko could finally see the front view of Misaki's blood soaked body. The brunettes face was withered in pain and his face was covered tears. Things worsened when the boy started to cough up blood, leaving fresh blood dripping down his chin. Akihiko yelled in disbelief and started to break down after seeing his lover in so much pain. The silver haired tried to reach for his lover but as he did, a large black claw the size of Akihiko appeared out of the shadows near Misaki's fallen body. The man screamed and tried to use all his strength to save Misaki from its grasp, but it was too late, the black claw had grabbed onto Misaki's neck and shoulders with it elongated black fingers and pulled the screaming boy into the shadows, leaving behind a trail of blood.

" MISAKIIII! ". Akihiko finally woke up screaming from his nightmare. His heart was beating at an extremely fast pace causing him to hyperventilate.

The man rubbed his temple to relieve his headache as he was experiencing the effects of a hangover. The man begun to sob, after remembering his dream. It felt so real as if Misaki was really there in front of him, but something evil had stolen his lover right in front of his eyes. This was the worst nightmare Akihiko had ever experienced since Misaki's disappearance and the horror remained fresh in his mind. Finally realising that he is awake, Akihiko observed his surroundings. He wasn't in his apartment but he recognised this room. He recognised the extravagant furniture designs and the canopy double bed. This was his childhood room in the Usami mansion.

" How on Earth did I get here?" the silver haired groaned.

Akihiko tried to recall what happened on that night at the bar. He could remember himself last night chugging down whiskey, cup after cup while Aikawa told him not too drink so fast. After that he couldn't remember the slightest thing that had occurred after his drinking session. Standing slowly and steadly as his legs were still wobbly, Akihiko needed to get out of this place as fast as he could before his father or brother would stop him. Especially since he knew that his father's was concern for him, however Akihiko didn't need his old man to baby sit him. The silver haired turned the door knob but the door refused to budge open. To his surprise it turns out that they have locked him in. Angered by this sort of treatment, Akihiko banged on door screaming," Hey let me out!" constantly until he heard the door unlock. The silver haired stepped backwards, waiting for the culprit to reveal himself. He was expecting his father or brother to enter but instead in came Tanaka with a tray of warm breakfast and tea.

" Good morning young master, although I should say it's almost noon. I'm sorry we had the door locked, it was your father's order to make sure that you do not run off. He was really concerned for you and your health after he found you drunk. So please enjoy your breakfast and please do consider to stay here," the butler said with a gentle smile.

" What does he think I'm a kid? I don't have time for this. I'm going home!".

" Sir I understand how your feeling, but please this is for your own good,".

" Understand?! No one will understand how I feel. I don't need my father's pity!".

" Master please, I too am worried about how've you been lately,". The butler placed the tray of food on the coffee table.

" I don't need anyone besides Misaki to calm me down. I need to find him...,".

" And how long have you been trying? You're not the only one who's been searching for him," interrupted a voice from the entrance if the door.

" Haruhiko?! What the hell do you want?".

" Same as you. To find Misaki. Tanaka if you will excuse us I would like to have a word in private with my brother,".

" Very well sir,". Tanaka bowed and exited the room, closing the door behind them. Haruhiko and Akihiko now staring at each other, face to face, both with glaring expressions.

" What do you mean by you've been searching for him too?" the silver haired asked in a disappointed tone.

"I have been investigating things in my matter and since your detective has found nothing at this point, I thought I would take this investigation a bit further myself. Since I'm in love Misaki as well, you should be glad I'm helping you".

" And how are you suppose to help, what evidence have you found?".

" Its complicated,". Haruhiko pushed his glass frames back into its place. " However its more effective than having a detective who justs goes around and questioning useless individuals,".

" What do you mean it's complicated? Spit it out already you idiot,".

" You know if you would just come home and take part in the Usami affairs then you would know how powerful Usami Corporations is and it's influence to this country,".

" I don't care about the company and just how are you going to use it to find Misaki? " the silver haired man ask whilst crossing his arms.

" It's not just about the company but status and wealth as well. To catch a criminal you must understand one's motive. Judging from these kidnappings, this is not done by some psychopath on the loose. We're talking about an organised crime, a trafficking ring here,".

" And what makes you think that?".

" Have you heard of Japan's underground red light city?".

" Heard of it, never been there, isn't it illegal?".

" Of course it is, but its a hot spot for wealthy people who desire to satisfy their sick hungers. Since I heard about Misaki's disappearance, including other people, I decided to check out the auction they hosted. To my surprise I saw the some of the same faces that were declared missing. In order words Misaki would have suffered the same fate as them,".

Akihiko's violet eyes widened upon hearing his brother's story. " You went to an underground auction?! When was this? Did you find Misaki or did any of the kidnapped victims know Misaki?".

" I didn't find Misaki I'm afraid. I went there three days ago. Major auctions aren't held everyday. I attended a major one under invitation from a few presidents and CEO. My guess was that Misaki was already sold off, regardless of a minor or major auction since it was about two week ago,".

" How would you know? For all we know Misaki could still be down there!".

Haruhiko sighed. " I took a look around and even demanded male prostitutes around his age, I could not find him. So I began to ask my fellow presidents and CEO about how long these items are on the shelf for? They told me it depends on the Mafia and they decide where their victims go. Auctioneer's are the ones that request their items (aka people) from the Mafia, gangs or whatever. Its like online shopping, where they request a person of this age and gender for example and have them sent over. You know what I mean,".

" So your telling me if I want to find my lover, I need to find the Mafia responsible for selling Misaki to the auctioneer?".

" Yes but first we need to find the underlings that do the dirty work for these guys and we must find the right ones. Which means A, we need to someone to pretend to act as a possible victim and we track them down. Which I assume we have to find a escape plan then. Or B we scout further in the underground red light district for more clues. But I can't do this alone and this is the first time I'm ever going to say this... Akihiko... I'm going to need your help".

Akihiko was surprised to hear his brother's request and paused a for second before smiling gently. " If it's to find Misaki, I'm in," the silver haired smiled and shook hands with his brother.

" I'm glad to hear that. Wait that reminds me, one more thing to remind you is that you do not reveal your relationship with Misaki. You don't want to cause any trouble when your down there,".

" Understood,".

Haruhiko smiled slightly for the first as well in front of his brother he was once jealous off. The two are now working together to find the boy that brought happiness to their lives, even if it means to find him illegally. Haruhiko turned and headed towards the exit, before turning to face Akihiko once last time again.

" Oh and we're leaving tonight, that's when the red light district is more a active. Also by the way Akihiko, try to keep sober. The last thing I want is a drunkard on a mission,".

Haruhiko finally walked off. Akihiko slumped back onto his bed. It felt like a burden was lift off his shoulders some how. Was it because he had never faced his brother like this or was it because he was finally doing something that will help him find his lover. After all this was better than doing nothing at home.

[~¥~]

At the Halyardir Mansion. ( 10:21 AM Italy: 5:21 PM Japan - 7 HOUR DIFFERENCE)

It was a cloudy morning and a black mercerdes luxury car pulled up in front of the Halyardir front courtyard. The raven's bodyguards opened the car door for their boss. Armel had just returned from a meeting in Versailles, France since yesterday. The raven had many duties to attend in order to maintain his power and status. Living a life as one of the Halyardir heirs and also the Mafia leader wasn't easy especially when there are disputes with other factions over territories. Europe was home to more one than one hundred criminal factions, all fighting and lusting for power. Some factions would crumble and some would rise. Armel's faction was in long dispute with the French and Russian Mafia. The three faction would have on and off wars and sometimes even periods of peace. Overall their relationship was always unstable.

Dressed in white long sleeve and grey V shaped vest with black hair slicked back, the raven sauntered into his mansion. His mind was focused on the meeting in Versailles and the flirty French blonde goddess who wouldn't stop hugging him. He had seem to have forgotten about the time when Misaki confessed his relationship with Usami Akihiko. Until his personal and loyal bodyguard Don had stopped him on his way.

" Boss you returned from the meeting. Did they agree to open the new route. You alright you look a bit angry?".

Armel's dark eyebrows furrowed, " Hell man I am pissed. That meeting was a blunder. Aude was busy fawning over me while Dimitri wanted to create more risky routes that will affect all three major factions,".

" Did Aude have any say in the new route to England?".

" No in fact we've gotten into another dispute, her French underlings are coming to our casino to cause some trouble. Tell the men to keep a look out,".

" How did that happen?".

" I'll explain everything to you later. For now let me get settled in before I kill someone,".

" Actually boss before you go and get settled in, Dulio had received news from our boys in Japan. It seems your suspicion was confirmed boss but Dulio will explain to you the full details,".

The ravens eyes squinted with anger and resentment. That kid was really dating one of the most families he hated the most. He clenched his fists upon hearing the news.

" I changed my mind. I want to know everything,". His tone became more aggressive than usual.

The raven stormed off pass the hallways and towards the secured computer room.

"Dulio!" the raven called out as he slammed opened the door scaring the IT guy inside who was busy watching baby Chinese pandas climbing out of its crib on the huge monitor.

" Dulio! What the hell are you doing watching that nonsense! Give me the report from Japan ASAP!".

Dulio immediately turned off the screen. The IT guy knew Armel's personality very well. It was one of those personalities you don't want to upset even further or the result would be disastrous.

" Sorry boss. Ahem," the man cleared his voice. The bald man scurried towards the other desk on the other side of the room which had a whole stack of yellow and red folders and papers on it. The man turned grabbed a red folder containing the reports and photos from Japan. Armel had insisted that Dulio to use red folders for reports that contain urgent matters, so that they can differentiate between unimportant reports. There was a central wooden table in the middle of the computer room and Dulio placed the red folder on the table. Armel sat on the adjacent side of the table with his arms and legs crossed next to red folder. Don had just walked into the computer room.

" So I received this report from yesterday's afternoon and this what they replied starting with what happened first,". The baldie begins to read out what the spies had written to them since Armel dislikes reading reports. " To the boss, we have managed to tracked Akihiko Usami by stalking his editor. On the same day Akihiko and his editor and the director of Marukawa Publishing have been spotted at a bar called Demasu,". Shows picture of the Akihiko,Aikawa and Isaka entering the bar. " Two hours later we spot a black car outside and a man identified as Haruhiko Usami, an architect who was seen walking out of the car,". Shows picture of Haruhiko walking about to walk towards the bar. " Seconds later we spot his editor and the director walking out with the drunk author and Fuyuhiko Usami steps out of the car. They converse something which was recorded for you. Oh right the recording,". The baldie dashed to the monitors and opened up the folders containing a list of recordings. " Ah must be this one. Did you require a translated word copy boss?".

" No you egg head, I lived in Japan once so why do I need a bloody translated copy, just play the fucking recording already!" the raven yelled.

" Ah okay sir boss," the baldie stumbled.

The recording was played and Armel listened to the conversation. He was surprised to hear Fuyuhiko's voice this whole time since he hadn't heard it since he was child. It was the voice he hated the most. Their conservation with about something to do with the lover and Akihiko's health which made Armel wonder if the Usami relatives knew about the relationship. This would provide an insight on the Usami's acceptance with Misaki. The conversation finished without the mention of the name Misaki.

" So is that all the evidence my men have gathered?! " the raven complain while trying to light a cigarette in his mouth.

" Uh no sir boss, we have more. This ones more interesting,". The baldie went back to the table and continues to read the report. " While the Usami's are off, we infiltrated the author's apartment and took some photos that link to your person of interest,". The baldie begins to take out a couple of printed photos and placed them in front of Armel.

The raven picked up the first photo which showed pictures of the author's apartment. Armel begins the flick through them one by one.

" Hmm, what the hell is this? Why does this man have a room full of moss balls? Why does this room have a tank of Eels? The hell, why is there a Great wall of China?! Does our men think this a travel magazine photoshoot?!" the raven complain before finally flicking over to another photo. Don and Dulio tried to hold in their laughters while watching their frustrated boss.

" Now this is more like it. Interesting photos of Misaki and Akihiko together. Judging by the background, it appears to be Hokkaido. No wonder theres a room full of moss balls,". Flicks through another photo again. " Student ID for Mitsuhashi University, my mother once studied there,". Armel was getting quite entertained uncovering the identity of his brunette pet. He finally knew the boy's full name and age. However the mood was about to change when he finally flicked over to the last photo. The raven's blue eyes widened as he read the labelled note that was attached to the bottom the bear carving. His right fist tightened while his left hand scrunched onto the photo. His blue eyes was fixed on the photo.

" So Fuyuhiko does know this boy," the raven muttered.

" So um sir, did you want the men to investigate further," the baldie asked while shaking in fear.

It took a couple of seconds before the raven replied. " Not for now,", the raven said in low tone. His shocked face transitioned into a sinister look. He smirked like some evil madman before heading towards the exit and turned to Don.

" Bring that brunette Misaki boy up to my room in half an hour,".

" Understood boss,".

Armel walked off, the raven was angry and yet excited at the same time. For so long he wanted revenge on the Usami's, particularly Fuyuhiko. Since he was rescued by his father after his mother's suicide, the raven didn't have time to plot a revenge on the Usami's since he came to Italy and took hold of power after his father was murdered. Thoughts of torture and taunts filled his mind as he wanted to see the reaction of his past enemy.

Armel headed downstairs to another cellar located elsewhere in the mansion. Again the walls were constructed out of concrete and inside the room hung items that were used for torture. Different torture items such as whips, thongs, hammers and restraints were hung or placed on top of metal tables. It was like shopping for the best items on the shelf to inflict pain and the ravens mind went wild.

[~=~]

" Hey thats cheating, you were twisting my wrist!" complained the brunette.

" No I wasn't, thats part of game. Its like wrestling so you fight to suppress the opponents thumb,".

" I know but you don't make your opponents wrist twist!".

" Hmpf, your just denying cause you lost,".

A sweat dropped from Misaki's head. The two boys had been playing thumb wars after Shinobu suggested it was a game he played with his friends in Australia when they got bored. Misaki was getting annoyed when the blond kept twisting his wrist during the game which distracted him and caused him to lose the game.

" Gah this is so boring," the brunette complained.

" Your not the only one suffering,".

" I know. God we've been here for nearly three days and I'm already dying,". The brunette leaned back against the concrete wall.

" Don't you find it suspicious they haven't done anything to us yet?" the blond suggested. " I mean its a good thing they haven't done anything yet but are we just going to get locked up here for our entire lives?!".

Now that comment had Misaki thinking. The brunette didn't get a good nights rest since the night was cold and it was Misaki's turn to get accidently get kicked off from the edge of the bed. It seems that both boys shift a lot in their sleep, unless they spooned each other at night to minimise the movement in their sleep.

" I agree with you Shinobu but I guess if they haven't done anything else to us we should be relieve for now,".

" I know but if they do, we need to mentally and physically prepared for it. We cannot let our emotions run over us if we want to escape. Speaking of escaping I have noticed the bathroom cracked tiles, we could use the sharp ends as a knife but the tile is glued to the floor still so it will take time to dislodge it,".

" Tiles? Hey thats actually not a bad idea we... ".

( SFX silver keys clinging)

" Shit someones here. I think they're opening the door,".

" Please don't be Armel, " the brunette prayed.

The door had finally opened and in came the brute. Don immediately found the brunette and blonde sitting against the wall next to the mattress. Both boys stared quietly and anxiously with their big round eyes at the big man, waiting for him to make a move or say something.

" You there!" he pointed with his dominant finger before beckoning it back and forths to signal to brunette to come over to him. " Armel wants to see your sorry ass!".

Misaki could not understand the language he was speaking but hearing the name of Armel in his words made the brunette's heart drop. " What did he want from me, is it because of Usagi-san. God I'm such a fool," the brunette thought to himself. The brunette stood up slowly. Shinobu begun to worry for his friend, what did that raven want from Misaki? The blond could see his friend shake as he slowly stood up. Misaki's hands were trembling. The blond gently placed his left hands on the Misaki's trembling right hand. The brunette glanced down upon the touch to see Shinobu with a warm gentle comforting smile.

" Stay strong Misaki," the blond whispered.

" Hurry up the boss doesn't have all day," complained the impatient brute.

Misaki was escorted by Don out of their cell and towards Armel's private quarters. The brunette kept his head low during this whole time. They had finally arrived outside Armel's quarters. Don knocked the on the double wooden door with golden frames on it. Inside Armel's voice can be heard calling them in. The brute then opened the door and the two entered the room. Armel was sitting with his legs crossed in his usual spot on the red chair by the fireplace.

" Thank you Don for escorting my pet, you may leave the room now,".

" Yes boss,".

The brute exited the room, leaving Misaki with Armel. The brunette gulped as he saw the raven staring straight at him with those intimidating blue eyes.

" I haven't got all day, have a seat," the raven said while pointing at the opposite chair.

Misaki did as he was told to and sat on the opposite chair. His heart was racing at this point. There was something underneath covered by a black cloth on the coffee table next to them. Misaki stared at it, hoping it had what was hiding underneath had nothing to do with him.

" So I'm going to ask this question and do not lie to me Misaki,". The raven's eyebrows furrowed even more. "Are you or are you not dating Usami Akihiko and do you have any connection with Fuyuhiko?".

Misaki froze, his pupils widened in shock upon hearing that question. What was he suppose to say and does he know who Usagi-san is? What would happen if he did admitted it? What should he do and how would Armel react? Why does he care so much? These were the questions running through the brunette's thoughts. His brain was not thinking properly especially with all the adrenaline rushing through his body.

"Uh I um I uh," the brunette stuttered while looking down, trying to avoid eye contact with the raven.

" Well spit it out, if your not just say it already. What the hell is stopping you? Or is the truth too hard to admit?".

The brunette's hand begun to tremble, his mind was losing it as pressure was building up inside of him.

" I, uh, I'm not ahaha you see me and Usagi are just friends and his father is just nice to me cause uh we're friends um," the boy kept stuttering again. Armel was not pleased with his reply for he knew the truth.

" Who the hell is Usagi? Are you avoiding the question!?".

" No no sorry Armel, uh thats my nickname for Akihiko, I'm sorry,".

" Address me as your master not by my name! You disrespectful child!" the raven roared in anger.

" Sorry master, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble!" Misaki cried and bowed to his master, the Japanese formal way with his hands on the floor in front of Armel.

" Obedient little one huh? If you are sorry then admit the truth,".

Misaki didn't want to admit the truth, what would happen if it made things worse than before. The brunette had no choice but to choose denial to defend himself. This was one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

" I'm sorry master, I have no romantic relationship with Akihiko, we are just friends and I only said his name last night cause that was the name that first popped through my head," the brunette yelled quickly.

" LIAR! YOU DARE LIE TO YOUR MASTER!". The raven stood from his chair, his face labelled with fury.

Misaki jumped up from the terrifying screams of the raven and was petrified at this point. The brunette was about to apologise when the raven took out the photos from his jacket and threw it on the floor right in front of Misaki's face. The brunette was shocked with disbelief upon seeing the photos of Usagi-san and the Usami family as well as his student ID and Fuyuhiko's gift note.

" Does this not speak for itself, look your even living in his apartment, I wouldn't call that friends. But wait I have more,". Armel took out his phone and played the recorded conversation. Misaki could recognise all of those voices. The part that got him the most was when Fuyuhiko mentioned " coping without the presence of his lover". Armel wasn't stupid and he knew just from the pictures and voice recording, it was enough to put the pieces of puzzle together. Misaki was cornered now, his cover was exposed and the worst of all Armel didn't look very please with Misaki's lies.

" You are a lying little cheeky bastard aren't you?".

Misaki had to defend for his life now. The brunette looked up towards the tall raven and begged on his knees. Humongous puppy like emerald eyes met with sharp dagger blue eyes.

" Please forgive master, I sorry. I was scared to tell you the truth. Please accept my deepest apologies, I'll do anything! Please don't hurt me!" the brunette pleaded.

" Oh so now you admit it. And to think you can avoid punishment by apologising, I don't think so!".

( SFX SMACK!)

"Ngnnhaargh!".

A hard back hand slap had hit Misaki across the face causing the boy to fly towards his right side. Misaki flinched at the slap and rubbed his red cheeks which stung his face.

" Please master I'm sorry. What do you have against the Usami's? Please I'm not one of them!" the brunette cried.

Armel walked closer to the fallen boy. " I know your not one of them but, it would fun to see their reactions once I'm done with you," the raven said with a sinical smirk.

" What does he mean done with you? What is he going to do to me?" Misaki thought to himself.

A hard kick was swung towards the abdomen of the brunette causing him to yelp in pain. After the first kick, more repetitive kicks came towards his sore abdomen until he could hardly breath.

" Plwease stop! Ahh uh itgerh hurrts!". Misaki's voice became coarse due to the pain.

Tears now started to flow down the boy's cheeks and Armel smirked at the sight of the injured boy, but this punishment wasn't harsh enough for the raven. While Misaki tried to regain his breath at the same time coughing up blood due to internal damage, the raven headed towards the black covered coffee table. The raven lifted off the black cloth to reveal his items of torture. There was various instruments set on the table including restraints but the first item Armel had lifted up was a whip. This wasn't the whip used for naughty purposes, but the one used to inflict pain. Misaki's eyes widened and the boy panicked upon seeing the raven carry the whip towards him.

" Nooo! Please don't hurt me with that thing, please!" the brunette pleaded as he waved his arms in the air to protect himself.

The raven bent forward slightly to scrunch the brunette's hair with one hand and slamming his face towards the floor twice. His back was now facing towards the ceiling and warm blood began to pour from his nose but luckily the bone wasn't broken. The brunette squirmed in pain as Armel dragged him by the back of his hair towards the coffee table. There, both of Misaki's hands were cuffed around the corner legs of the table. Misaki was now restraint on the floor with his back still facing towards the ceiling. The boy felt incredibly frightened and helpless by the experience. His body was already in so much pain. The boy cried for help when Armel placed his left leg on the brunette's head and the right one on the floor.

Armel began to straighten his whip and test it in the air, creating a whip lashing sound. The boy flinched upon hearing the whipping noises above him and began to sob. The raven removed a grey tie from around his collar shirt and tied it around the brunette's mouth.

" Just a little bit of the final touch," the raven smirked.

The raven stood back and admired the sight of the restraint injured boy before lifting the whip with his right hand and whacked Misaki on the back. The lash was powerful causing Misaki to scream and jerk his head back in response to the intense burning pain. A patch of red blood where the whip had lashed begun to seep through the white clothing Misaki wore. More tears were flowing from his swollen puffy eyes. " Usagi-san please help me, I'm in so much pain. The pain is so unbearable. Shinobu told me to stay strong so we could escape from this horrid place. I want to see Usagi-san, I want to see my brother. I don't want to die here," the brunette thought to himself.

Armel waited for a minute to see his pet's reaction from the whip. Misaki's breathing was heavy, it was difficult to breathe at the same time as screaming. Finally after Armel had finished watching Misaki suffer from the first lash. Lifting his whip again the raven lashed onto the boy's back, this time leading it to multiple lashes. Each lash caused Misaki's heard to jerk back and forth until he got tired from the excruciating pain and muffled screams. More blood had soaked through his white shirt until his back was completely covered in crimson red. Finally after sixteen lashes, Armel placed the bloodied whip back onto the coffee table. Misaki's energy was drained from the torture, so he closed his eyes to rest. He had bit intensively hard into the tie that his canine teeth had actually managed to cut into the material.

" Don't fall asleep just now, I'm not done with yet,".

The raven grabbed a clear cylindrical jar which appears to be salt crystals from the coffee table. The man then kneeled next to Misaki's face and cupped the boy's face to make it him face Armel's direction.

" Oh lookie Misaki, look what we have here," the raven teased as he shook the jar in the air. The brunette opened his tear stained eyes slightly to see what Armel was holding up.

" You know what this is? Its salt. Not your regular salt. It's the large sea salt crystals. Since I don't want poor Misaki to get an infection, I suppose some salt will suffice. After all I want to keep Misaki alive as long as possible so I can send some nice photos to the Usami's and maybe to your family," the raven smirked.

Misaki's heart raced upon seeing the salt crystals in the jar and started to sob again. Armel was getting excited when he saw Misaki's reaction to the salt. He then lifted the brunette's shirt up to reveal the lacerated bloody wounds on his back. There was a mixture of dry clotted blood and fresh blood surrounding the wound. The man then twisted and removed the lid of the salt jar. The brunette panicked when he heard the sounds of the jar opening and tried to wriggle himself to freedom. Misaki was really scared of the pain that was about to be inflicted on him so he clutched his hands around the legs of the table and prepared himself for the impact.

Armel poured the salt contents onto his right hands. Holding the salt in his hands and over Misaki's top left shoulder blade, he rubbed the salt crystals into Misaki's lacerated wounds with a circular motion.

" Mnnnmghfffmmm!" the brunette muffled loudly in pain.

"Its so painful! It burns! Stop please, I'm begging you!". These were words muffled words he tried say but could not due to the gag.

The salt crystals sharp edges scratched against the warm open wound before dissolving. Armel poured more salt onto his bloodied hands and moved to another wounded. Again he rubbed the salt into Misaki's back in circular motion causing an intense burning sensation. The torture was repeated until Misaki's whole back had been exposed to the salt crystals. The boy was in so much agony, his back was now red, swollen and throbbing. He had almost passed out from oxygen deprivation as he kept screaming and crying without trying to inhale enough oxygen in.

" It seems your back is well sterilised now ahahah," the raven taunted.

Misaki's mind was elsewhere this time. He didn't have to energy to fight anymore and drifted of into his own thoughts. He thought of his Usagi-san, his brother, his friends, his nephew and all the people that brought light into his world. Today had been something he'd never expect to ever happen to him. It was traumatising and scarred him for the rest of his life. More tears began to seep down from his eyes at the thoughts of his once peaceful life turned miserable. His heavy breathing slowed down. Armel had gone somewhere but Misaki was suffering greatly and didn't care what would happen to him next. He had given up, he was ready to die. Too tired and wounded to open his eyes, the brunette had drifted off to sleep.

" Hmm fallen asleep now have we?" the raven kneeled down next to Misaki's face and prodded his head with his dominant finger. " I just whipped you and sprinkled a bit of salt on your back and your already knocked out. Man your so fragile. Mmff a least I had some fun. Time for some photos,".

While Misaki had passed out due to the trauma inflicted on him, Armel had washed his bloodied hands and retrieved a small silver camera. He then approached the wounded boy and took pictures of his body lying on the floor. From the photos it would appear to viewer as a photo of a dead person due to the amount of blood present on his back. Armel then unlocked the cuffs and turned the brunette over to his side to reveal his bloodied, bruised and tear stained face. The raven then snapped another photo of this view.

" Day one torture complete, time to spread the good news to the wonderful people of Japan," he said joyously. " Would be more nicer if I could perform more tortures on you. But since your not going anywhere I'll leave it for next time,".

Armel had finally finished his torturing session with his pet. The man smiled in triumph as he felt satisfied that his revenge could be carried out in his own home. Leaving the battered and wounded body on the floor, he sauntered outside to find Don.

" Don, where the hell are you?".

No reply.

" The fuck is he?" he muttered. " Fuck him, where's Dulio?,".

The raven stormed off all the way from his quarters to the secure computer room to find his computer junkie.

" Dulio!"

The raven slammed open the door to the room. Dulio was nowhere to be found.

" Where the hell is everybody!" he complained.

A voice responded back from behind the raven.

" Oh sir boss. Your back. Sorry I went to buy some donuts from the nearest town. You want some?" the baldie asked while holding a white box containing donuts.

" The hell would want I donuts. I've been looking for you. Here's the photos, I want four of them sent to our boys to Japan. Have it sent out to the Usami's and the boy's university and any family he has. Tell our boys to post it in their mail so they will receive it and open it. I can't wait to see their faces," the raven cried with an ecstatic behaviour.

" Okay boss, but is there any notes you want to write to them or are you just going to send pictures to them?".

" Fuck I forgot about that. Never been so excited in my life. Give me twenty minutes or something. I'll be right back and I expect you to be here!".

" Understood sir boss,".

As Armel turned, " Oh are those chocolate glazed donuts?" he grinned.

" Yes sir boss. Theres two, the rest are strawberry and plain ones,".

Dulio opened the white donut cardboard box revealing the delicious mouthwatering donuts. Armel rubbed his fingers and selected the chocolate donut and walked off to his room. Not long after he left, Don walked pass Armel and glanced at his energetic boss before turning into the secure computer room. Dulio was busy trying to connect the camera memory card on a USB port to access it on the computer.

" The boss finished with the kid already?".

" Yep and you owe me 50 euros, I won this time," Dulio grinned.

" Fine you win this time. But the bet was at 25 euros,".

" Yeah I get double the money since he accepted the donut. So gimme my money,".

" Fine," he groaned.

Don reached for his pocket and placed the cash on the table for Dulio. The two had been betting on the mood their bipolar boss would exhibit towards Misaki. The man can sometimes be unpredictable due to his mood swings therefore Don and Dulio thought it would be fun to play betting game on this.

" I told you he would act as a hypomaniac and you bet depressed hahaha," the baldie laughed and grabbed the money off from the table and shoved it into his pockets.

One hour had passed and Armel was still in his room walking in circles, deciding what to write on the note. Misaki's unconscious beaten body still laid on the cold marbled floor. As the raven contemplated, he would sometimes nudge the brunette's head with his foot, trying to get an idea into his head. Stress was starting to build up within him. Should he reveal himself? Should he give hints? Should he threaten? Armel never thought writing a simple note to his childhood enemy would be so hard. After a few laps around the red leather chair, he sat down on it and begun to write a note to taunt and outrage his enemies. It was best to keep his identity hidden. The last thing he would want is to give his position away. He wanted to hold Misaki hostage for as long as possible since Armel sometimes can get carried over when torturing his victims.

Once Armel finished his note he read over it again to proofread and edit his work. He scribbled out sentences and changed them to make sound better. Literature was not his strong point and the man hadn't written in Japanese since he was fifteen. Thirty minutes had passed and Armel was finally done with his note. He folded the paper and held it in his hands. Walking over to Misaki he crouched down next too the brunette and ruffled his fingers through the soft brunette locks.

" You can dream about lover as much as you want but do hear this, no one is going to care for you. Mmm that reminds me, I forgot about your dirty blonde friend. I say I do want to see how he would react to seeing you like this. I remember when he ran up to you on the stage that night. Such a caring friend. Well I guess make him drag your bloody body back to your cell. So you stay here for while, ". Armel's fist tightened as he scrunched on the brunette's hair. " I'll be back with your friend,".

The raven smirked down on the unconscious body before turning away to exit his quarters. Heading back down to the secure computer room, he slammed open the door again. The loud intrusion woke Dulio up from his sleep as he drifted off sometime waiting for Armel to finish his note.

" Dulio! Quit falling asleep! Here's the note and instructions. Photocopy and send it,".

" Guh uh. Yes sir boss. I'll get it done," he said with a sleepy voice.

Armel left the computer room and headed towards the cells. As he entered he tapped on each cells to check onto his prisoners. He tapped on the cell near Misaki's and Shinobu's and unlocked it.

" Hello Carlita, hows my naughty little pet doing,".

The raven approached the bruised brunette who sat at the corner with her legs chain. Her face was beyond recognition due to battered and purple red swollen face. He then cupped her chin up to make her face him.

" Escaping without me knowing. You know you could never escape. I got eyes and ears everywhere. Try to cross the border? I'll just offer money for your return and every criminal I know will try to find you. You used to be my favourite Carlita but now your just a piece of shit like the rest of your fellow prisoners,". Armel released his hand and stood up. " Now if you excuse me I'm going to find myself a new favourite,". Armel exited the cell and locked it behind him. Walking over the next cell he whistled and searched for the correct key.

Shinobu stood up from where sat. He recognised that whistling sound, it was Armel. His heart raced as he waited in anticipation for Armel and Misaki to come in. Shinobu had waited hours for Misaki and he wondered what happened to his friend and what did they want from him. After a few jingling noises the door opened.

" Hello my little blondie," came the voice of Armel.

" Where's Misaki? What did you with him? " the blond glared at Armel.

" Oh you mean your little lying brunette friend. I killed him,".

Shinobu's mouth gaped open, " You what!? How could you do such a thing!".

" Ahahaha. I'm just kidding. But you should've seen your face," the man laughed.

" You think that's funny!".

" Oh yes I do. But...,". Armel approached closely to Shinobu. Their faces are now very close to each other. " If you dare raise your voice again, you will suffer the same fate as your friend,".

Shinobu gulped. What did he mean by suffer the same fate? Was his friend alright?

" Now come and follow me like an obedient pet,".

He tugged Shinobu by the elbow and lead him back to his quarters. Shinobu had a bad feeling about this situation. What was he going to find? Is Misaki going to be safe? The two finally entered the room. Shinobu immediately scanned the room for the presence of his friend. He spotted someone's legs on the floor.

" Misaki?!". The blond ran over to lounges to find Misaki's bloodied unconscious body.

" Misaki! Misaki! MISAKI! " he yelled whilst shaking the brunette hoping to get a response from his friend. Shinobu stared in shock at the sight of the blood and his beaten body. He placed his hand near to Misaki's mouth to check if he is breathing. The brunette was still alive. Turning to face Armel who was smirking at the sight of Shinobu's reaction the blond yelled on the top of his lungs.

" Why would you do this to him?! He's innocent! You monster how could you do this! I hope you rot in hell for this, you...".

( SFX SMACK!)

Shinoubu had received a hard slap to his right cheek which silenced him from his outburst.

" Didn't I tell you not to yell at me! That boy deserved it! But that's none of your concern" he pointed directly into Shinobu's face. " You really are stubborn Shinobu. I'm already starting to like you. Why don't you be my favourite huh? We could have pleasurable times together,".

" Fuck off," the blond whispered under his voice.

" What was that?"he smiled sinically before dragging the blond by his arm to stand him up.

" Let me go!" the blonde struggled as he tried to free himself from Armel.

The raven latched tighter onto the blondes arms before wrapping his right arm around his upper body and dragging him towards the king sized double bed. Shinobu tried to break free from his grasp but the man was about the same size of Miyagi and his struggle was nothing. The man had lifted him off from his foot and threw him onto the soft cushy bed.

" Ommphff, don't touch me you freak!".

Armel ignored his complains and forced his body on top of Shinobu. The blond tried to push him off but the raven's weight had collapsed on top of him. He kicked his legs in air back and forth.

" Get off me! I said get off me!,".

" Feisty here aren't we,".

Shinobu placed both his hands on each side of the raven's shoulder and tried to push him off, but man wouldn't budge. Armel now on top of Shinobu, with his right hand he gripped tightly onto Shinobu's left wrist and pinned it down above the blond's head. With his left hand Armel used it to cup Shinobu's chin and squeeze his cheeks at the same time. Now immobilised the raven planted a slobbering kiss on the blond's pale soft lips.

"Mmmffph,".

Shinobu held his lips shut tight from the forced kiss. He cringed upon the touch of someone elses lips smothering over his. He tried to free his left hand from Armel's grip but the more he moved and muffled the stronger the mans grip tightened. The left hand that was holding Shinobu's face tightened causing his lips to part slightly. A warm wet tongue was forced in between the blondes lips causing the boy to cringe even further. The tongue explored further and deeper when Shinobu gasped for air. The kiss turned more intimate but Shinobu didn't enjoy it. He felt violated and wanted to punch the raven in the face once their lips were separated. After Armel was satisfied with his forced French kiss he continuously pecked and smooched on the blonds soft white cheeks as he moved down towards the neck.

" Stop kissing me! Get off you pervert!, he cried.

" Why should I? I'm giving you pleasure,".

Armel continued to lick and suck on the sides of the blond's neck while his left hand explored underneath the white long sleaved shirt to feel his body's soft skin. The hands that explored tickled his body and Shinobu wanted the rip the mans hands off and beat him with it. The raven was getting turned on now. He released Shinobu's wrist and used both of his hands to tug and pull down the blond's pants. Shinobu panicked and screamed when he realised the raven was taking this sexual assault to the next level.

" Stop! Don't do this to me. I'm not your whore!" the blond cried while beating the raven's chest with the sides of the his fists.

The raven glared down his victim. " I own you. Don't you remember who bought you. You should be thankful I did. Who knows what sort of master you would end up with,". The raven leaned in closer, his lips almost touching Shinobu's ear. " You could have been sold to someone who will prostitute you to sick old perverts and stuff you with drugs. You will remember no one not even yourself and all you will ever think of is drugs while they do undesirable things to your body,".

Shinobu froze, his grey eyes widened after what Armel had told him. He felt terrified when the raven mentioned the word drugs and prostitution.

" I don't like sharing my pets, so be grateful you service me only. So do your job and open your legs wide for me,".

The blond was speechless, he knew fighting against the man would not result in things getting better. He knew Armel would overpower him easily with his strength. Shinobu looked over to Misaki who was still unconscious. He felt sorry for his friend who had to endure such torture compared to his situation where he just had to sleep with his master.

" You've gone a bit quiet now. That's more like it now,".

Armel proceeded to remove the blonde's clothing one by one. Shinobu felt extremely embarrassed and blushed, since he was not used to someone else seeing him naked besides Miyagi. Shinobu laid on his back facing the raven who now placed his hands underneath both of the blond's upper leg and pushed it up, causing his legs to spread. Now ready to get physical, Armel unbuckled his belt, revealing his (*beep). Shinobu panicked upon seeing someone elses large erect (*beep).

" Your not going to prepare me? " the blond asked. He was afraid of the pain he would soon endure.

" Why should I? You're not disciplined well enough yet. So I'm going to teach you a lesson. So be a good boy and open wide,".

The raven forced a powerful thrust into him without warning.

" Wait, guh arghhh!" the blond yelped in pain. " Stoarhhpp!".

Armel thrusted slowly but they were powerful thrusts which sent strong slow waves of sharp pain into his body. Shinobu fists clenched tightly on the navy blue bed sheets as the raven held him against his will. Tears started to flow down his cheeks from the sharp pain.

"Think of Miyagi, think of Miyagi, think of Miyagi," the blond mouthed under his breath.

Try not to think of the pain, he told himself. Both of the two started to breathe heavily as Armel increased the pace. Shinobu's face started to turn red as the pain intensified as well.

" Please slow arghhh down," the blond whimpered.

The raven smiled at the response and thrusted faster to tease the boy while moaning in pleasure. Shinobu started to cry even louder, he arched his back and tried to close his legs numerous times, hoping the raven would slow down on his thrusts. But the powerful grip under his upper legs prevented him from doing so. The thrusts continued at a constant rhythm for about seven minutes before intensifying and leading to a climax. Armel moaned before finally retracting from the blond. His breathing was heavy and loud after he had climaxed.

Shinobu finally felt relieved that the sexual assault was over, however it left him trembling in pain. The blond wiped his tears with the back of his hands and turned his body to cover his face with the pillows as he didn't want to see his offender's face. He felt violated, weak and worst of all, he felt like he had betrayed Miyagi. Armel buckled up his pants and threw Shinobu's clothes at the blond lying on the bed in shame.

" Times up, get dress and drag your friend back to your cell since you care for him so much. A guard should be standing outside, they'll open and lock your cell doors,".

Shinobu lifted his head, his eyes were still red from all the crying. He tried to sit up but his body was too sore, especially where he was penetrated. He had never thought intercourse would hurt this much without proper preparation. He groaned in pain as he tried to stand up and put his clothes on. Armel pulled out a cigarette to smoke and headed towards Misaki where he nudged the brunette's head with his foot.

" You awake yet?" he asked while smoking.

No reply.

Shinobu gritted his teeth when he saw how Armel treated the brunette. It was rude and rough and he had never seen someone this cruel before. Shinobu held in the physical pain and dressed as fast as he could and stood up immediately. He needed to get Misaki away from the raven who kept nudging his head back and forth with his feet.

" I'm done. I'm taking Misaki back now. Stop treating him like that," the blond glared.

" Still using that arrogant body language at me huh. Hurry and take him back before you suffer the same fate as him,".

The raven backed away from the unconscious body and sat on his usual red leather chair, waiting for them to leave. Shinobu walked over to Misaki. It was difficult but he held it in. He could feel something warm and wet between his legs but he didn't want to know what it was. Approaching Misaki's body again, he felt sick to the gut at the sight of dried blood and lacerated wounds. Kneeing down, he lifted Misaki's arm and placed him over his shoulder and lifted him up. At first the blond yelped at the flash of pain due to strenuous activity but ignored it as hard as he could and did it for his friend. Armel watched the blond carry and drag his wounded friend out of his quarters.

Shinobu was nearly at their cell, he could remember his way back. His legs were weak and he stumbled so many times on the way back. Finally they were back and one of the guards outside the cellar had escorted them back into where they belong. As they entered their cell, Shinobu immediately place Misaki on the mattress with his back facing towards the ceiling. The blond needed to treat his friend. He observed the wounds and searched his body for any other damage. The raven didn't remove Misaki's shirt when he was whipped, meaning that the cloth would stick to the wounds when it dried. Luckily only a quarter of his back had some clothes stuck to it. The rest of the wounds were dried but the surrounding tissue was still red and swollen from the acidity of the salt crystals.

Shinobu needed to sacrifice his shirt to remove the adhered cloth and then clean Misaki's bloodied face and back. Running to the bathroom the blond removed his shirt and drenched the shirt with the shower tap. With the drenched shirt he headed back to the mattress and squeezed all the water from the shirt onto the part where the shirt was stuck to the wound. He then placed the wet shirt over his bare shoulders to avoid placing it on the dirty floor or mattress. Once Misaki's shirt was wet, the blond waited for the clot to moisten before he slowly removed the shirt. Luckily Misaki was knocked out, otherwise he would be screaming in intense pain right now.

The shirt was finally off the wounds and he unbuttoned the shirt from Misaki and removed it from his body. The once white long sleaved shirt was now covered in blood. Shinobu placed it on the floor, he was going to clean it later so his friend could wear it once it dries. With the wet shirt he had over his shoulders, Shinobu folded it into a rectangular shape and cleaned Misaki's bloody face which revealed his swollen purple face and busted lip. Once the face was cleaned, he moved to the brunette's back. He didn't want to directly touch the wound so he wiped the wet shirt around the wounds to clean up the blood that seeped down to his sides.

Misaki was finally clean and Shinobu positioned his friend to sleep on his side facing towards Shinobu's side. The blond finished cleaning his friend, now he had to cleanse himself from Armel's filth.

Turning on the shower, Shinobu stripped himself. The shower was cold as usually but he had no choice. He flinched and shivered upon the contact of the cold water but later his body adjusted to it. Shinobu liked the cold water as it numbed the area where he had been violated. He rubbed the water all over his body to cleanse the filth that lingered on his body. He wished he could erase all of the memories and what had happened to him today. The boy broke down and sat at the corner of the cold shower floor. He covered his face with arms and rocked his body back and forth as he sobbed. Today had been traumatising for both the boys, both physically and mentally and worst of all this was just the beginning.


	10. Chapter 10 Bite Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

Sorry I'm kind of editing all over the place.

This is one of my favorite chapters for Act I. I hope you will like it too. This chapter is long, approx 14K. So grab a snack or rest your eyes before continuing on :) leave review on what you think. :D

* * *

 **{~0~}**

 **Bite Me**

(4:07pm Italy : 11:07pm Japan)

Shinobu kneeled down and twisted the drenched bloodied shirts above the shower drain. Red transparent liquid flowed down between his scrunching fingers and trickled onto the dirty white tile. The blond sniffled and wiped away the rolling tears with the back of his hand. Every drip of blood belonged to Misaki and it aches him to see it. Shinobu tightly held the shirts before compressing it between his palms. More warm salty tears flowed down heavily along his cheeks. Sobbing, gasping and shaking on his knees, he slammed the wet cloths against the floor, creating a slopping thud.

"Arghhh! Fuck you Armel!" he cried.

He placed his left hand to scrunch a patch of dirty blond hair while grinding his teeth. Eyes shut tight at the invasive thoughts of Armel violating him without consent. More vivid images of Misaki's brutally beaten body flooded his mind. He hated this place, this room, this mansion and worst of all, his life. He didn't want to be imprisoned in this cramped cell forever, nor did he want to be acknowledged as a pet. If only he could turn back in time to prevent himself from being kidnapped, maybe everything would be normal. Then at least he could be back in his apartment, in close proximity with his lover. After university maybe he would snuggle in warming comfort with his lover, or go visit his parents, eat out with friends and even get physically romantic in bed with Miyagi. But that life became evanishing, now that they were here. Before he lived a normal life, now he was someone else's bitch.

Several minutes has passed and his sobs eased down into weak intermittent sniffles. Shinobu lifted up the shirts to twist them again before rising up to turn on the shower tap. He held out the bundled cloths to catch the falling cold water. Satisfied with the soaking, he turned off the tap to repeat the cleansing process. With a final shake and whip he hung them over the shower head. With that done, he slumped down along the wall until he reached the floor. His chest tightened as his bare upper body was exposed to the cold air.

Feeling numb and fatigue, the blond staggered slowly out of the bathroom and sat down on the mattress next to Misaki's body. Looking down at the sleeping brunette, he lightly ruffled Misaki's hair. How can a man inflict such pain to an innocent person? Why Misaki in the first place? Shinobu wanted to find out. He wanted to help Misaki. The poor boy was going to have permanent scars for the rest of his life. How was he suppose to go out in public with his shirt off and not reveal the everlasting lashed scars?

Today had been traumatizing for him and Misaki, his body demanded rest. Shinobu squeezed himself onto the mattress, slowly he drifted off to sleep.

[~¥~]

(4:07pm Japan: 11:07pm)

"So is this where we'll find the underground red light city?" Akihiko asked his brother.

"Yes this place is where we'll find one of the many routes that will lead to the underground city."

"Do you know this person?"

"It's not specifically a person. This place is operated by the yakuza. Gambling is illegal in Japan therefore casinos are not a major thing here. This is why the wealthy and powerful political figures come to this place. This route was recently opened after the yakuza managed to corrupted a politician. Anyways enough talk. Let's go, we haven't got all night to stand out here. And leave the talking to me, you just stay quiet."

The two brothers stood outside the poorly lit alleyway that lead to a high class Japanese restaurant located in the city. The restaurant only accepts reservation and has a secluded exterior where only VIP members such as actors, politicians, diplomats, and other powerful people could dine without interference from the public. Aside from being exhibited as a restaurant, this place has an illegal casino hidden below its lower sanctums.

The two were dressed in stylish, handsome and ravishing tuxedos. Haruhiko wore a dark navy blue tux with a white undershirt and blue tie, whereas Akihiko wore a black tux with white undershirt and a red tie. They entered the opulent restaurant and approached a beautiful blacked haired hostess wearing a purple kimono. The elegant woman stood behind a wooden stand with her reservation booklet.

"Your names please," she asked politely with a welcoming bow and smile.

"Usami Haruhiko and Usami Akihiko, we had reserved a private booth," Haruhiko replied.

The hostess ran her pink painted fingernail down the list, scanning for their names. She spotted the name and a secret code written beside it which they used to access the casino. The secret code was the number of the private booth.

"Yes, you've booked a reservation here. Please follow me to your booth."

The hostess escorted them through the restaurant and pass the diners. The restaurant was still full despite being opened late at this hour. The interior design was traditional Japanese and the customers sat on the floor with their shoes off. She lead them to a private room and through a secret backdoor alleyway and into an elevator. When they finally reached the bottom level, the hostess lead them to a heavily guarded door.

"The Usamis have arrived," she alerted the guards before turning to face the brothers. "Please enjoy your night sir." She bowed formally and returned back to her duties.

The black suited guards saw the brothers and immediately opened the door invitingly, without questioning them. It was their job to know and identify their guests to avoid infiltration from the police. Luckily for Akihiko and Haruhiko, bearing the Usami last name was enough to walk right into a heavily guarded illegal casino.

"Welcome in the Usami brothers," they greeted.

Haruhiko nodded to acknowledge them. The brothers casually entered, they paused to observe their environment. The grand hall was spectacular. The floors were covered by exquisite brown, maroon and gold carpets and the walls were painted cream white. The air was filled with laughter and chatter. Akihiko could see leather lounges where they had hostesses dressed in sultry dresses entertaining and pouring their customers alcoholic beverages. The other side of the hall had rows of slot machines with flashing lights above them. In the middle of the hall was rows of poker and roulette tables. Surrounding the tables were wealthy classy men and woman dressed in evening dresses. They gambled using poker chips that were valued more than thousands or millions worth of USD. The brothers sauntered through the busy night, dodging pass waitresses and waiters carrying liquors such as Martinis garnished with a lemon slice, on top of their black tray.

"Hn, never thought being an Usami would get you in that easy," Akihiko scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous. If you stuck to your responsibilities you should know how powerful our influence is and who we associate with."

"Ha. You make laugh. I don't care about the stupid corporation. Like hell do I even want to become a part of it."

Haruhiko stopped and turned to glare coldly at his brother.

"Akihiko, when are you ever going to realise your responsibilities. You went to Law school, graduated on top and yet you throw that away just to become a writer. What a waste, you've proven yourself useless to the family. When are you ever going to wake up?!" he chided.

"Look here daddy's boy!" Akihiko pointed rudely to his face. "I don't care about the Usami Corporations and I don't even plan to look forward in running it! I chose to become a writer under my own will. And I don't even care what you think and what father thinks. I can do whatever I want, so put that into your goddamn head!"

"Akihiko! I am not—."Haruhiko shot back but was interrupted by a petite waitress dressed in a black short skirt and strapless white corset.

"Umm excuse me sir. Sorry to disturb you two but do you need anything in particular?" Her voice appeared shaky, large blue eyes down casted from direct eye contact.

The two brothers ceased their argument when they realized they were altercating in the middle of the hall, causing everyone nearby the poker tables to shift their attention to the brother's direction. Many of the guests including the poker dealers and the staff paused their activity to stare at them in bemusement.

"Nothing is wrong here madam. We'll be on our way now," Haruhiko replied calmly. Although he was actually feeling quite ashamed in front of all these strangers when Akihiko labelled him as a 'daddy's boy'.

"Oh okay sir. You gentlemen have fun," the waitresses replied tremulously. She was worried that she would be rebuked for her interruption.

The gluing stares made them both feel embarrassed and they scurried off from the scene as quickly as possible. They quickly left the hall and into a more quieter area, before sighing in relief.

"That's just great Akihiko, five minutes into this place and we're already arguing. Like that's going to help us find Misaki," Haruhiko complained, he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well I suppose being paired up with a jackass brother like you, would expect to have results like this. Especially since you're the one who raised your voice first," Akihiko retorted grumpily.

"Grow up Akihiko. Your still a baby. Do I need to buy you a teddy bear just to get you to behave." Haruhiko gesticulated with a toy dangling motion to insult his brother.

Akihiko aggressively grabbed onto Haruhiko's collar with both hands to threaten him. "Insult me again and I'll—."

A loud squeaky fast voice came from behind them. "Wuuuoo, emergency spill lounge five, emergency spill lounge five, emergency spill lounge five." A panicking waiter carrying cloths darted right past them, causing the two to break up and act neutral. More waiters scrambled pass the brothers with their mops and plastic buckets.

"You'll need to control yourself when your down here Akihiko," Haruhiko stated. He adjusted his collar and tie with a disgruntled look.

"Well you need to refrain yourself from that bad mouth of yours." Akihiko crossed his arms in discontent.

The two idled there momentarily without directly communicating. They grumbled indistinctly under their breaths, cursing at each other through their vexing demeanor. Eyes narrowed sharply, eyebrows furrowed deeply while lips curled upside down in disgust.

They hated each other, but for Misaki, they'll have to endure.

They sighed in unison.

The brothers begun to move on. They headed towards another double door, a couple more corridors and downstairs to a room filled with heavily guarded yakuzas. Akihiko swallowed upon seeing the gangsters who appeared sinister and intimidating. The yakuza parted their suits to display the golden chain necklaces and dragon inked tattoos on their necks. Black hair was either slicked back, short or medium length. He felt nervous when they all turned to him and his brother. Sharp slanted eyes glued to them like birds to worms. To his surprise he recognized one of the men who had a bullet scar under his right eye. This man used to work for a wealthy businessman who had a connection with his father. The scar faced Japanese man wearing a grey silk fitted suit approached the two and bowed formally to greet them.

"Greetings the Usami brothers and welcome. Ah Haruhiko your back. Can't resist the temptation of the red light city? And this must be your brother Usami Akihiko." He turned to face Akihiko and smiled to greet him. "Nice to meet you Usami Akihiko. My name is Rei and I am the gatekeeper to the hidden city. So you've come to bask in the luxury and pleasures of this exotic wonderful hidden city?"

"Yes I have and I'm looking forward to it." Akihiko lied. The only pleasure he would seek was from his petite brunette.

"You two must be excited. Well I shouldn't hold you two for too long. I'll unlock the elevators for you now."

"Thank you," Haruhiko said.

Rei removed a thin necklace from around his neck. The silver chain laced necklace had a golden key attached to it. Approaching to the jaded pillar, the scar faced man inserted the key into a dragon's eye. He twisted the key clockwise ninety degrees and then anti-clockwise three sixty degrees. A clicking sound was heard. The golden dragon carved wall adjacent to the pillar begun to shift upwards, revealing a secret elevator. The two waited for the wall to fully open before they stepped into the spacious elevator, the floor was even covered in red carpet.

"Enjoy your night. Oh by the way, tonight there's a major canine tournament held at the arena today. Everybody's going to be there, the bets are high tonight," Rei informed them in an ecstatic tone.

"Thank you for letting us know," Haruhiko replied.

The older Usami brother pressed on the second button in the elevator. There were three levels but Akihiko wondered why his brother had selected the second one instead of the third. Shouldn't the lowest one lead to the underground city? Unless there were more doors and elevators they had to go through. The dragon wall moved down when Haruhiko pressed the button. Once the wall closed, the elevator began to descend, creaking as it travelled down.

"You reckon we should check out the canine tournament?" Akihiko asked.

"Maybe we should. He did say everybody was going to be there. Might as well scout there, see if we could possibly find some clues."

"I can't believe some people enjoy watching dogs fight."

"It may seem futile but canine tournaments make good business and they reel in a lot of cash from gamblers."

The elevator came to a stop at level two. The steel elevator doors parted and the two stepped out onto the stone pavement on top of a man made hill. Akihiko's eyes widened in astonishment as he gazed out over the underground city. They had arrived to the hidden city. The silver haired was amazed by the spectacular view. He didn't imagine an underground city would be this beautiful. He was expecting an underground city full of intricate tunnels and rooms, but not an actually city.

He gazed out over the traditional Japanese city with red illuminating lanterns hanging off from the streets and buildings. The city was surrounded in a dome and had a river flowing through the center, dividing the city into two. The calm river was connected by wooden and stone bridges. The city was dark but the shining bright lights made the city appear natural at night, a replica of the real nightlife outside.

"This is different from what I had expected," Akihiko said.

"It's amazing isn't it. This place makes billions worth of cash daily by selling illegal goods and hosting entertainment. Although its not all that beautiful once you find out the ugly truth about this place."

"Indeed. From the size of the city, I assume you were unable to thoroughly scout every building."

"I wasn't able to explore everywhere in one night. So I only scouted the male brothels on this side of the city, but I haven't been able to explore the other side yet. It was a bit odd travelling by myself down here. That's why I brought you. I found it uncomfortable having my personal bodyguards following me into those type of places."

"Okay then should we get started by exploring the other side of the city?"

"It's a start and better than nothing. Oh by the way Akihiko." Haruhiko turned to face his brother. "Remember do not reveal your relationship to anyone, especially to the owners or anyone linked to trafficking. Misaki could be brought to harm if anyone holds anything against us or our family. Understood?" He informed in a serious tone.

"I hear you."

"Good. Then lets go."

The two descended down the long, wide and tall stone stairs. Akihiko probably thought they had at least travelled down five stories on the staircase. They turned right and then left as they walked down the stairs until they reached the bottom. Gazing back up to the hilltops, Akihiko hoped that they didn't have to take this path on their way back home. He could finally see the elevator that was meant to be the third level, located next to the bottom of the staircase. At least now he knew where to get off if they had to return.

As they moved towards the large wooden pillar entrance, they entered the streets of the red light city. This place reminded Akihiko of the time when he went to a Japanese festival with his lover, dressed in their traditional robe-like outfits and wooden sandals. He was filled with the nostalgia of the nightly celebrations, with bright lanterns, splashing goldfishes and sparkly fireworks. A smile curved on his face on the memory of Misaki breaking his sandal strap. An advantage he saw to get physically closer to him. Touching Misaki got his heart racing, addictive chemicals would surge through his brain, activating his hormones and turning him on.

Akihiko's mood was however ruined by the constant cat-calls and wooing from the prostitutes. The streets where they were walking through had brothels laid out in both sides. Each building had a different costume theme and were competing for their customers. Entertainers were displayed by the windows dressed in all sorts of indecent clothing such as seductive lingerie and bikinis. They swayed their voluptuous curves while lasciviously winking at the Usami brothers.

"Come here baby!" The beautiful women invited them in. "In here please. We'll give you a good time handsome boys."

The brothers ignored their request. Both weren't interested in woman. Misaki was their only goal. Most of the people passing through the streets were rich customers, mainly wealthy men but there were also females present as well. The yakuza were seen in groups patrolling around the city to maintain civil control. Other gangs would come to this place, often clashing with other clans, resulting in eruption of violence. Hence some sort of guarding was needed to maintain peace.

The two had reached the market square, away from the maddening brothels. Food stalls, restaurants, gift shops, pet stores were all set up around the circular street. Akihiko paused his movement when he had witnessed a baby panda locked in a steel cage being transported into an exotic pet store. The poor baby panda was squealing its lungs out while pushing its face against the bars. It attempted to escape but the caged barred it from freedom. Such cruelty to animals was also conducted down here. Akihiko felt sick to his gut on the treatment of an innocent creature. But on the other hand, he actually felt like buying one. Who wouldn't want a panda? A baby one too. A real living teddy bear for him to adorably cuddle in his arms. He slapped himself mentally. His goal was to find Misaki, not purchasing fluffy animals. Haruhiko was oblivious to his brother and kept on walking straight. Akihiko needed to catch up to him. The silver haired quickly paced up to his older brother until they were side by side.

After five minutes of walking and sight seeing along the way, they crossed over a bridge. Akihiko was surprised to see canoes and even cruise boats on the man made river. The pair arrived on the other side of the city. They glanced around left and right, trying to decide which path to take.

"So which way should we take first?" the silver haired asked.

"I don't know, but lets try left and work our way up."

They turned left and explored past the buildings along the river bank. Looking out for a male brothel, they spotted a two story building with effeminate males dressed in beautiful kimonos, idling on the front door porch. They were dressed in various colors and patterns. Their makeup made them appear feminine but their kimonos' parted, revealing their flat chest. The two stood in front of the building, analyzing the external environment. The male geishas cat-called the brothers and flashed their hairless legs to allure them in.

"Are we going to enter this place?" Akihiko whispered to his brother.

"Might as well. They appear to be around Misaki's age. Let me do the talking."

Haruhiko moved towards the entrance, Akihiko followed behind. As they head pass the male geishas, one of them wrapped their arms around Akihiko's arm. The silver haired ignored his amorous advances and continued to walk, breaking physical contact. Inside they glanced around the interior. The floor was made from cypress wood, walls were traditional paper lined with black oak wood. In the middle situated a greenish blue marble counter decorated by pink roses. On the right side of the room there was at least four chabudai (Japanese short legged table) with white flat cushions laid on the floor. Two geisha performers sat on a small wooden stage next to the tables, playing a Koto and three-string flute. The atmosphere was relaxing and a few male guests were seen mingling with the entertainers.

From a distance outside the brothel, a conspirator stalking the brothers was on a phone to an unknown contact.

"Yes sir. I understand. Will do sir."

Inside the brothers approached the empty counter and tapped on a silver bell to signal their presence. An old man with grey short hair wearing a black hakama appeared from the left side of the hallway. He bowed to formally greet them.

"Evening gentlemen welcome to Yasei-ji. My name is Yuma and I am the host to this place. How may I be of service?"

"We're looking for a brunette to service us. So if you could show us your brunette collection, that would be nice," Haruhiko responded.

"Very well sir. I will gather all of our available brunettes and have them lined up in the next room. In the meantime, please have some light refreshments while you wait." The old man extended both of his arms to the left, signaling them to have a seat by the short legged tables.

The brothers moved towards the table to sit down while Yuma went to gather to his entertainers. A male geisha dressed in a white and pink kimono approached the table, carrying tea and blue china cups. He placed the tea pot down and poured the hot contents into the cup to serve them. Haruhiko thanked the boy before he moved away to serve another guest.

A serene tune was playing while they sipped their tea. Akihiko tapped the glazed ceramic china cup repeatedly with his index finger. His appeared restless and would often sway his violet eyes around or down to stare at the tea. The silver haired didn't know what to expect here. What if Misaki was being held in this place? That would solve everything since they could just purchase him off from the owner, and everything would be restored back to normal. The anticipation in Akihiko grew. Haruhiko glanced at his brother as he took a sip from his hot mint tea.

"Feeling a bit nervous are we?"

"Yeah a little, never done this sort of thing before," Akihiko replied in a low tone.

"It's always the anticipation that gets to us. Don't think too much we still have other places to explore."

Akihiko swirled his tea cup. "Yeah I know. I just can't help it."

Five minutes has passed and Yuma had returned.

"Gentlemen, we have our brunettes lined up. Please follow me to the other side of the room."

The brothers immediately rose from their spot. It was time to determine whether Misaki was present here or not. The two were guided to an enclosed private room on the left side of the hallway. The old man slid open the door and invited them through. Haruhiko entered the room first followed by Akihiko. Inside they saw at least six brunettes lined up. There was short, stubby and tall brunettes but no Misaki. Disappointed by the results Akihiko decided to question the old man.

"Is this all the brunettes you have? And when I mean all, I mean all."

The old man scratched his head. "Well we do have one but he's currently being disciplined at the moment."

"What do you mean by discipline? What does this boy look like?" Akihiko questioned further. His voice grew demanding.

"Well he likes to bite our customers. And this morning he bit one customer on the leg and we were given a negative review. So that's why we're just making sure he doesn't do it again. Also to answer your other question. He is brunette, umm he has green eyes and is short. He did say he was a university student but after that I don't know much about the kid. He wouldn't tell me his name. I purchased him weeks ago, I'm still in the process of training him. So he doesn't do sexual service just yet, mainly entertainment."

The brothers glanced at each other in surprise. Could this be the Misaki they were looking for?

"We want that kid! We will pay double if we have to, for one hour!" Akihiko demanded.

"Uh okay sir. I'll see. What room would you like? We got normal, deluxe. Our grands are currently being used I'm sorry."

"Deluxe will do," the silver haired replied eagerly.

"Very well sir, I'll escort you to your room. Follow me."

Haruhiko placed his palm on Akihiko's shoulder from behind. "Akihiko, how do we even know this is Misaki? Wouldn't fifteen minutes suffice?" he whispered to his brother.

"You heard what the man said. It matches who we're looking for. Now let's follow him."

Haruhiko shook his head in disagreement but did not object to his brother's decision. If this wasn't Misaki then one hour would be too long for them. Fifteen minutes was enough for them to question the entertainers and leave. But it was too late for that now.

The two exited the room and the brunettes were dismissed. Yuma led the brother up the stairs that was located next to the main hall. There they were then escorted to the last room near the front of the building. The old man opened the door and the two sauntered into the room.

"I'll be right back. In the meantime you can relax and if you want refreshments, there is a red phone you can use to dial room service." Yuma closed the door behind them for privacy.

The two glanced around the room as they entered. The room was medium and long. On the right side of the entrance was a lounge area where three red sofas surrounded a large flat screen television hooked onto a wall. Black dressers were placed next to the TV with scented blue unlit candles on top of it. On the left side of the room was a large double red bed. There were short drawers next to the bed with tissues and more candles placed on top. In the middle of the room situated a large window with red curtains that provided a view of the river. Haruhiko moved towards the window to gaze out towards the riverside with his arms crossed. Akihiko took a seat in one of the red couches facing the TV.

They waited for a few minutes in silence. Akihiko begun to feel impatient, he fidgeted anxiously with his thumb and intertwined fingers. A couple of stacked brochures on the coffee table caught his eye. He leaned forward to grab the papers to read, hoping to chew up time. The first brochure contained a menu of available refreshments they could order through room service. Uninterested by the contents, he flipped over to another brochure. This one caught his attention. On the front, a German shepherd was seen growling, displaying its beastly fangs. The dog was edited onto a fiery steel background, creating an epic depiction of the tournament.

Akihiko flicked over the paper to read the back. According to the text, the tournament commences in half an hour, but the rare fighters are battling at the end. The main match that had attracted everybody was actually a fight between two professionally trained dogs. These canine beasts were ranked either first or second place in the world. Today was a legendary day where they will battle each other for the first time, this was a rare event. He curiously wondered if his father was into this stuff. After all, his father was bound to associate with some members linked to the underbelly empire.

Akihiko finished reading all of the brochures, most of them were advertisements. The silver haired tapped his agitated foot repeatedly, his eyes wondered around the room. He grew weary of waiting for Yuma to arrive with his brunette. Desperately wanting to accelerate time, he decided to a watch a little bit of television. He reached out for the white remote. Once in his grip, he aimed it towards the TV. Haruhiko saw his brother's action and dropped his crossed arms immediately to warn him.

"Hey I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

Too late.

Akihiko had already unsuspectingly pressed the on button. Rather than the regular channels being shown, an X-rated video of men making love was displayed. The sound of erotic moaning and skin slopping filled the lounge room. Akihiko panicked, his hands clumsily tried to turn off the TV, resulting in a juggling mess and a accidental drop of the remote onto the floor. He quickly bent down to retrieve it back up and turned off the TV. The smutty noises ceased, the room resumed back to awkward silence. He sighed in relief but flustered in embarrassment when he realized his brother was in the same room.

"They don't display normal channels here," Haruhiko said in lower tone than usually.

"You don't say."

The brothers resumed back to waiting quietly. Haruhiko returned his gaze out onto the river. It felt relaxing to watch the calm night waters ripple and the glowing reflections. Haruhiko could also see automobile carriages on the pavement streets used to transport guests around the city, as well as ambling figures. Akihiko didn't feel like touching anything, especially after what happened. He sat there, vividly day-dreaming about rescuing Misaki from this dreadful place.

Knock. Knock.

Finally they were here.

"Hello? I've brought the boy you requested," came the voice of the old man.

The brothers shifted their attention to the closed door. Akihiko rose from his spot, his heart pumped at a faster rate than usual. Slowly the door creaked open and in came Yuma with a brunette behind him. The boy kept his head lowered, disconnecting all possible eye contact. The brunette was wearing a white silk robe with light pink and red floral patterns printed diffusely on his sleeves. The night robe only reached his upper knees, revealing the white hairless legs. He had a similar appearance to Misaki with his head down. But it was the face they wanted to get a closer look at.

"Honorable guests, this is Brown Bear. That's the nickname we had given him, because he bites. But enough talking, I'll let you have fun with him. Oh and I forgot to mention. The drugs are starting to wear off. If he gets out of control just let us know." He turned to the boy. "Behave. Remember they're paying double for you. Don't mess up." Yuma threateningly whispered into his ear before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Haruhiko observed the brunette, his eyes scanned vertically. They waited for him to raise his hidden face. The older Usami noticed something odd, it just didn't feel like Misaki. Akihiko slowly approached the boy, his desiring emotions started to flood into him and all he could think of was Misaki. Even the slightest resemblance had the silver haired yearning for his lover. As Akihiko moved in closer to the brunette, the boy raised his head to catch a glimpse of his customer. Akihiko froze momentarily when he witnessed the teary emerald orbs. More emotions surged into his head, chaotically deluding him of reality. His ardent love for Misaki made him lose control and he had mistakenly confused the boy for his lover.

"Misaki? MISAKI!" Akihiko cried. He promptly brought the brunette into his embracing arms. Misaki was finally safe in his arms, at least that's what he thought.

The brunette cringe at the strangers hug and squirmed. "Aghhh get off me!" he protested. The boy attempted to unravel Akihiko's arms.

"Misaki its me. Usagi. Don't you remember me? If you can't its okay. It's probably the drugs. I have you, your safe now." Akihiko spoke softly to reassure the startled brunette.

Haruhiko watched the Misaki look-alike being hugged by his brother. He noticed the boy's voice was different and less mature than Misaki's. He wanted to hug the boy as well but his conscience told him not to. This was definitely not the Misaki they were looking for and he felt disappointed. Only a love-sicken fool like Akihiko would fall for this in a late night, after recovering from a hangover.

Unable to escape from the clinging silver haired, the boy decided to sink his teeth into Akihiko's lower right arm. "Arghhh! Are you crazy Misaki? I'm not trying to hurt you!" Akihiko cried. He placed a hand over where he was bitten.

The brunette retreated behind the sofa. Frightened panicked eyes darted back and forth between Akihiko and Haruhiko. The silver haired returned his gaze back to the boy, he gently stalked towards his direction.

"Misaki its okay I'm not going to hurt you," Akihiko said softly, trying to alleviate his fears.

"Leave me alone!" the boy cried.

Threatened by the unwanted close contact, the brunette snatched the TV remote from the coffee table, hoping it could be used as a weapon for defense. Akihiko continued his advance, inattentive to the boy's defensive stance.

"Akihiko I don't think that's Misaki, even though they look the same," Haruhiko warned.

Akihiko ignored his brother's cautious remarks. The man was too delved into his own world. He wanted to embrace his lover, to soothe and to tell him that he loved him. His heart skipped a beat with every step he took. It was Misaki. His Misaki was safe in this room with him.

Haruhiko braced himself for disastrous impact. Clearly the boy was provoked, yet his obtuse brother was unconscious to the wavering red flags. The older Usami bit his lip in vexation, arms crossed while his index finger tapped repeatedly. He should of brought that idiot down here when his mind was cleared of alcohol intoxication. The silver haired had drunk until he dropped, obviously his mind was still impaired, which without doubt affected his judgement, leaving him imprudent.

"It's okay Misaki, it's just me. Everything's going to—."

Thwack.

"Arghhh!" Akihiko yelped in pain.

"Idiot." Haruhiko covered his face in shame. Akihiko was a disgrace to their family name.

The shorter boy had swung the remote with relenting force across Akihiko's face, knocking his head back and bruising his nasal bridge. The brunette made haste for the corner black drawers. He climbed up swiftly onto the top, knocking over the scented candles. He retreated further into the corner and pointed the weapon towards their direction, mainly towards the silver haired. His hands trembled as he held the remote. Fear culminated within him and his quaking hands resulted in an accidental drop. Defenseless, the boy quickly bent down to retrieve it, unfortunately when he held the remote sideways, it turned on the TV.

And the smutty video resumed back on. The sounds of men making love filled the room again.

The puerile commotion was stirring Haruhiko's patience. His eyes squinted in annoyance, teeth grinded, eyebrows angled, everything was out of control. Without hesitation, Haruhiko moved towards the dresser but kept his distance from the swinging motion.

"Hey get yourself down from there! Your going to get yourself hurt. Please step down from the dresser now or I'll have to pull you down myself!" Haruhiko demanded.

"Misaki get down from there!"

"I'm not Misaki! Will you stop calling me Misaki! My name is Jiro, not Misaki!"

"Akihiko are you stupid?! He's not Misaki! Do you think a drugged person will have that much energy?!"

"But it has to be…" Akihiko said before finally realizing the truth. This Jiro kid was indeed not Misaki. Everything became clear and Akihiko could spot the difference. The brunette's voice was less mature than Misaki's and his behavior was dissimilar. Daggers pierced deeply into Akihiko's chest, he slumped to his knees. His tongue paralyzed, lips numb, no words were able to escape. All of his hope was obliterated into deep dejection. He wanted to scream out on the top of his lungs in anguish pain. His violet eyes watered, Misaki was not here.

While Akhiko withdrew himself into a mental breakdown, Haruhiko had to deal with an aggressive brunette who wouldn't obey his orders. Even worst the moans coming from the TV invigorated his anger. His patience was wearing down thinner, until he erupted into internal flames.

"That's it. I had enough! Turn off the TV and come down this instant!" he ordered. His face grew more serious than before.

Haruhiko tried to grab hold of his legs whilst defending his face from the swinging attacks. The elder Usami veins bulged as Jiro kept retaliating. He managed to grab a hold on one of his arms. Shocked by the restraint pull, the brunette attempted to smack off Haruhiko's arm. The tightened grip around the rubber buttons caused the angled remote to increase in TV volume. Eventually the volume escalated to the max. Now with the catalytic loud sounds of erotic moaning blasting the room, Haruhiko ignited. A nuclear bomb exploded destructively within him. He turned his head to his brother.

"AKIHIKO YOU STUPID WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! ARE JUST GOING TO SIT THERE OR HELP ME?! CAUSE IF YOU—!"

Tack.

"Gah!" Haruhiko groaned in sudden pain.

Haruhiko, the great Usami, top architect and supposedly the next in line to the throne of Usami Corporations, had just received a hard forward kick from Jiro's bare foot to his head. The man stumbled backwards in great speed towards the sofa, knocking it over as he fell. Jiro unintentionally dropped the remote again, this time it ended up on the floor. Akihiko remained lost in his emotional thoughts, ignoring the surrounding disorder.

In the meantime, the old man downstairs balancing his checkbook paused when he heard resonating moans, followed by a loud thud from above his head. The two entertainers stopped playing their instruments and the mingling guests quietened down to listen. The male geishas outside and passing figures turned their attention to the second window upstairs. A group of conspirators standing outside remained speechless as they listened.

With the assailant splattered on the floor, Jiro jumped down from the drawers to pick up the remote before fleeing to the other side of the room. But his movements were impeded when Haruhiko was able to clutch onto his robe. Now with the brunette snagged, he roped the boy in closer.

"Don't touch me you monster!" He protested and tugged his robe back against the older man.

"Give me the remote kid!"

"No!"

Thack.

"Arghh!" Haruhiko shrieked.

Jiro had smacked the remote ruthlessly on the top of his head. The older man grimaced in pain, he placed both hands on his aching head before rubbing it. His face reddened and eyebrows furrowed deeply until they could almost touch each other. His eyes sternly glared at the brunette. This kid had crossed the boundary and Haruhiko needed to neutralize this mayhem. Jiro was uncontrollable and aggressive, if he wanted to play rough, so be it. It was time to subdue that boy and chastise him.

"That's it kid I had enough of this behavior! Come here!"

The elder man removed his spectacles and placed it on the drawers to prevent it from being broken. With an height domineering aura, he stormed towards the brunette. Jiro shuddered in fear, he ran beside the bed to hurl pillows, tissue boxes and whatever he could find to throw at the enraged man. With his remote held hand, Jiro whacked it against Haruhiko's body. The older man was too angry to feel any pain at this moment. With his strength Haruhiko was able to grab onto both of the brunette's arms. Jiro panicked, he leaned his head forward with his jaw parted in effort to bite him off. The older man anticipated his movement and maneuvered the boy into a suppressing headlock. Jiro squirmed, screeched and hissed violently, his face contorted in discomfort while his neck movement remained immobilized by Haruhiko's choking arm.

"You stay like this for now kid. Akihiko I need help! Oi moron, listen! Aki—arghh!"

The brunette dugs his nails into his flesh, denting into the dermal layer. Haruhiko used his free hand to remove the vicious clawing fingers. Akihiko's body remained in a motionless state, inert. The older Usami sought assistance but his younger brother wasn't helping. He needed to get his attention this instant, Jiro's struggle became difficult to contain. Glancing around desperately, he found the dropped remote by his foot. He bent down, unintentionally choking Jiro as he picked up the item.

"Arrrr," the brunette's asphyxiating throat retched. His green orbs widened to the fullest like a squished goldfish from the sudden choke.

Haruhiko tossed the remote across the room, hitting the side of Akihiko's head, a bull's-eyes. Akihiko's sorrowful droopy eyelids lit wide open revealing his stunned violet orbs. He blinked a few times as he awoke to reality, his senses returned. He motioned his head to the wrestling pair.

"About time you respond! Baka—stop scratching me kid! Akihiko, find something to help me restrain this boy. Check the drawers over there. Hurry!" His older brother pointed directionally.

"Nghn. Yeah whatever!" he grumbled unenthusiastically.

The silver haired rose from his spot, staggering slightly due to his numbed legs. He shook his head in frustration over the ruckus when he moved towards the drawers. He kneeled down to open and examine the drawer contents. Akihiko shuffled through the toys, gags, sleeping masks, until he found a pink fluffy handcuff.

"This will do." He mumbled under his breath. Satisfied with the form of restraint, Akihiko paced to his brother.

"Let me go, nghh arghh! Let me go!" Jiro screamingly protested.

"Hurry Akihiko and cuff this boy for me!"

Jiro's eyes froze widely when he saw the cuffs. Scared of what the men might do to him, he fought for the protection of his chastity. Squealing screams gorged their eardrums as he flailed his legs in the air.

"Okay Akihiko, I'll push him down onto the bed. You place on the cuff hands or we'll never get anywhere!"

"No please! Don't do this to me!" the brunette cried.

"We got no choice kid. I'm sorry," Haruhiko replied.

The older Usami forced the brunette prone onto the bed, pinning him down with his leaning body. The brunette yelped.

"Hurry Akihiko place the cuffs on his wrists."

Akihiko quickly cuffed Jiro, arm by arm behind his back. With the cuffs locked in place, the brothers slumped backwards against the wall, sighing in great relief. They had successfully subdued the aggressive, biting brunette. Haruhiko panted heavily, a damping sweat perfused from his forehead, he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Three minutes of wrestling was indeed tough, his chest heaved asthmatically. Jiro could almost be described as a living bear, that was how difficult he was to control. Akihiko's eyebrow twitched on the sudden realization of the TV's blasting volume. He irately stomped to where the remote was and turned off the TV. The level of noise resumed back to normal.

While Haruhiko tried to catch his breath, Jiro motioned his body in attempt to escape once again. But due to the smoothness of his silk robe, he slipped from the bed and landed on his lower body. Haruhiko noticed this but he ignored it. His migraine, aching head and exhaustion drove him mad. He needed refreshments to reenergize his spent energy.

Akihiko slumped down on the sofa, he covered his face with both of his hands. He was crestfallen by the outcome. If only that kid was the 'real' Misaki, but he knew this was not the case. His lover was still somewhere out there. Where was he being held? Who had him? He prayed to heavens that Misaki would soon be found. He wouldn't give up the boy he treasured the most. No way he would, there were still other brothels to explore but the feeling of crushed hope left him devastated.

Jiro whimpered, his lips pouted miserably, he felt vulnerable to the men. He turned his frightened gaze to Haruhiko. Humongous teary emerald eyes met brown eyes.

"Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry," the brunette wailed.

"Kid. You need to calm down. I'm not interested in sleeping with you."

"Please don't lie to me."

"Kid, or Jiro if that is your name. I'm not interested. Get that in your head." Haruhiko rubbed his swollen scalp. "Ow, looks like I'm going to need some ice," he muttered.

"Then what do you want from me?!" the brunette questioned. He was confounded by the man's disinterest. Most of the customers that came in were filthy rich old men and demanded fondling, but not Haruhiko.

"Just some questions. But first I'm going to order some ice for my head."

"What questions?"

"Look kid, I'll ask you once everything's settled down. So just relax will you. I'm not going to hurt you in any way. So chill!"

Glancing around the room, Haruhiko spotted a red telephone on a circular table by the door. The man sauntered to the phone before dialing room service.

"Hello is this room service? Yeah I like to order two bags of ice and three non-alcoholic ginger beers. Thank you."

Five minutes later.

The fallen sofa had been placed back into its original position. Akihiko sat on the right sofa leaning forward with an ice bag over his nose. While Haruhiko sat in the middle sofa holding an ice bag on the top of his head. He gazed down onto the brown bottle in his hand before taking a satiating gulp. Jiro sat in awkward silence on the left sofa watching the two injured brother's independent interaction. His wrists remained cuffed behind his back.

"Okay lets start this conversation properly now," Haruhiko said as he placed down his ginger beer onto the coffee table. He turned his attention to the brunette. "We're sorry to have frightened you before Jiro. My idiot brother here had mistaken you for the person we're searching for."

"What? Wait your brothers? You don't look the same and why would you come in a room together? I mean it looks weird…um but…when you do that…people think. This is awkward to say but…

"It's complicated," Akihiko interrupted. He knew what the brunette meant. Two men entering the same room in a brothel, well that can lead to an assumption of a threesome. But that would never happen, ever!

"You see a friend of ours was kidnapped nearly two weeks ago. Therefore we're searching for him. Akihiko show him the photo."

Akihiko patted his jacket and pulled out a photo of Misaki from his inner pocket. He passed the photo to his brother who then held it in front of Jiro's face.

"Have you seen this boy?" Haruhiko asked.

"Wow he does look like me. So that's why you were calling me Misaki. And also from my memory, no. I haven't seen him."

Disappointment stabbed the Usami brothers. Jiro didn't recognize Misaki. The two were wasting their time, this irritated them, since they were getting nowhere with their investigation. Haruhiko returned the photo to his brother.

"Are you sure? How long have you been here?" Haruhiko asked.

"Also how did you get kidnap. Did he throw your phone outside the car window? Did you get taken in broad daylight," Akihiko added.

"One question at a time Akihiko. Your giving me a headache."

"Umm, how do I know I can trust you guys?"

"You can trust us. We won't hurt you. So tell us what you know," Akihiko asked.

"How do I know you two won't rape me?"

"Because why the hell would I want to be naked in front of this idiot? And also the only person I'll ever make love to is Misaki."

Akihiko's eyes widened at his brother's confession before they narrowed into glaring daggers. He gesticulated pointing prods to his brother. "Like your getting anywhere near my Misaki. He's mine! When are you ever going to learn not to take things that belong to me?! You four eyed moron!" the silver haired berated.

"Look here Akihiko you're the reason why Misaki's missing. You neglected your duty as his provider. The only reason I brought you down here was because I felt sorry for your stupid ass. I love Misaki and that's final!"

Akihiko gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles cracked. This was why he hated his brother. Haruhiko was the worst sibling. The man was selfish, arrogant and inconsiderate.

"You!" Akihiko pointed towards Jiro.

"Me—e?!" the brunette stuttered. He jumped up in fright from Akihiko's terrifying grouchy demeanor.

"Yes you. I'll purchase your freedom!"

"What? Really I can go home?!" His face lit up brightly. A euphoric rejoice for him. Finally he could escape from this hellish nightmare.

"Haruhiko here's a brunette who looks exactly like Misaki. You can have him and treat him like Misaki if you want. Just stay away from mine!"

"Wait? What?! I thought you said I was going to get my freedom? I don't want to stay with him!" the brunette wailed.

"Akihiko as generous as that sounds, that kid is not Misaki!"

"Oh but he does look like Misaki. Why don't you take him home and get Misaki out of your system!"

"Uh guys, I don't think I'll get Misaki out of your system."

"Maybe you need to get Misaki out of your system and give him to me!"

"Like hell I'll give Misaki to you! Why the hell are you so obsessed with him?!"

"Uh, guys I don't think arguing over Misaki will—."

"Because he is different. He made me feel things I haven't felt before. He encouraged my dream goals and to me, that was special."

"Pfft. Is that all? To me Misaki means more than that. He has changed me and showed me a life I thought I would never have, a life of happiness."

"You sound pathetic Akihiko," his brother scoffed.

"Your pathetic Haruhiko. Because you know you'll never have Misaki. Just admit it! Admit it!"

Haruhiko invisible thin line of self-control snapped, his inner wrath invoked. The older Usami resorted to physical violence and shoved Akihiko by the shoulders. The silver haired was merely forced back a step. He gritted his teeth and retaliated with a forceful push. Haruhiko jerked back but held his balance. The two prowled at each other like alpha male lions fighting over their chosen mate. Muscles tensed, ready to pounce. Fists clenched belligerently, this was war.

"Whoa, okay guys stop fighting! Now is not the time!" the brunette yelled. Jiro had to end the sibling rivalry, the two men looked as if they were going to murder each other. He needed to intervene, despite being hand cuffed. The brunette advanced to the gap between the men. When he jumped in to separate the fight, Akihiko's fist that was meant to punch Haruhiko, smashed brutally into his unguarded face.

"Nghh owww!" the brunette yelped. Blunt pain pummeled his upper nasal region.

The boy fell backwards but Haruhiko had caught him. Jiro had just received his own taste of medicine by accident. Akihiko froze in disbelieving shock after seeing whom he had just assaulted. Haruhiko shot a glare at his brother.

"Now look what you did, you idiot!"

"You started it first! Sorry Jiri that was meant to be for this jackass."

"His name is Jiro you moron. Are you okay Jiro?" Haruhiko looked down at the injured boy in concern. Jiro whiningly sobbed in the older man's arm. He shielded his face towards Haruhiko's chest.

"That's just great Akihiko. You abused this kid!"

"Oi don't blame me! He jumped in!"

"Excuses!"

"Shut up!"

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"Oh I will. I can say—."

"Both of you shut up!" Jiro abruptly shouted in frustration over their trivial squabbles.

The brothers jerked when the brunette's turned his face, revealing the contorted grimacing expression and bloodied face. Warm red fluid had poured out from his nostrils, smearing his lower half. Haruhiko panicked and guided the boy to sit down on the couch while he searched for tissues.

"Here." Akihiko handed Haruhiko a red serviette that came with the refreshments.

Haruhiko rudely snatched the serviette off from his hand. He sat down beside Jiro. "Here, use this," he offered. Haruhiko held the tissue under his nose to collect the dripping drops of blood.

"Does it hurt?" Haruhiko asked.

Jiro nodded shyly. Never before would he think Haruhiko would demonstrate such form of kindness to him. All of the men in this place treated him like a toy, used for pure entertainment. But not these brothers, they refused to inappropriately touch him. Feeling a bit comfortable around their presence, he begun to open his guarded gates for them a little.

The brothers waited a couple of minutes for Jiro's nose to stop bleeding. Haruhiko drenched a spare serviette with melted ice cubes to help Jiro clean off the bloody stains. The older man slathered the wet tissues on his cheek and rubbed it up and down in a rocking motion.

"You feel a bit better now?" Haruhiko asked again.

"Yes, thank you. By the way, I'm sorry for hitting you guys. I thought you two were going to hurt me."

"We understand what you mean but that's not why we're here."

"So you two are looking for Misaki? How are you going to find him in a place like this?"

Akihiko looked towards the brunette with his arms crossed, trying to mask the inner guilt. "Yes, we're looking for him. I don't care how big this place is. I will find Misaki. Even if they are hiding him. I'll find out. So tell us your story kid. How did you end up here?"

"Uh well where do I begin. I'll start where it all happened first. I was kidnapped approximately three weeks ago. I was heading home late at night from the bar with my university friends. I studied Law with them. We were heading home and separated our ways when a black van drove by and two men abducted me. When they pulled me in, I bit one of them in the arm. He screamed and punched me multiple times. I still didn't stop biting him. The only thing I could remember hearing was one of them calling someone Aku or something for help. I don't remember that much. After I was kidnapped I woke up in some prison cell. There were others there too. We were all frightened. The bad people would come and go, dragging off innocent people like me to who knows where. I was taken and drugged and sold in a minor auction. That's how I ended up here."

Jiro's voice begun to sound tremulous as if ice shards had formed within his throat. His eyes watered clearly, adding a gleaming shine to his emerald iris. "You don't know what's it like for your normal life to be taken away from you. There's no escape, I'm better off dead. Yuma-sama even said that I won't be here for long. They will kill and replace me with someone younger once I reach a certain age. There's no future for me here besides pain and death. It's not a life anyone would want. Not even you. There are so many innocent people like me down here." The damming tears broke their banks and ran down his cheeks.

"Misaki's so lucky to have you searching for him." Jiro's voice grew hoarse. "I know you two will find him. Your trying so hard. I don't even know Misaki, yet I'm already envious of him. I really am. Who doesn't want to go home? You would if you were trapped down here. I didn't even get a chance to say good bye or I love you to my family. So that's why when I saw you two fight, it angers me. Family is important… I can't go any further." Jiro broke into long whining sobs at the image of his loved ones casted out of his reach. Their anguished faces painted in the portrait of his vision, unsmiling gloomily.

With that emotional spill out, the brothers fell speechless, lips sealed tight, heart sunk pitifully by his aching words. Haruhiko quietly placed a sympathetic hand to touch his back. He wasn't good at succoring others, but at least he was demonstrating some of his will. The older man swallowed a hard lump, he wanted to hug the boy and offer him solace. But his misanthropic-like personality hindered his capability to fully express his feelings. Inside he wanted to bargain with the owner for Jiro's freedom. If Haruhiko was willing to make an arbitrary decision, this would not guarantee Jiro the full entitlements of freedom. Rather the boy would become a property and a burden to his daily life. Furthermore it would only spark a strong disapproval from his autocratic father.

Akihiko felt a sting to his chest when listening to Jiro's story. The sadness in his words drifted into his soul, weakening him. Misaki must be mentally thinking the same, the need to break free and the need to see his loved ones. Undesirable images of Misaki being abused by his sadistic cruel owner made Akihiko boil. He didn't want to witness Misaki's sweet joyful demeanor devoured into sufferable pains and tears. His dream of Misaki's torturous screams haunted him till this hour. The phantom cries echoed in his head despite him being awake. He prayed that this abhorrent dream remained unreal. He wanted Misaki to be safe, unharmed and alive. Now he had the surge of determination to find Misaki, but he needed clues that will lead him to his lover. The crying went on and Akihiko begun to fall impatient. He patted his coat and his pocket in search for his cigarette pack, but realized that he had left them behind in the car. He grunted unhappily and waited for the boy to relieve himself. He needed to ask more questions.

After several minutes, Jiro managed overcome his grief. His sobs softened into light sniffles and lung hiccups. Haruhiko used the side of his index finger to caress away a strand of tear damped hair away from Jiro's eyes. The brunette turned to him and thanked him with an appreciative smile. Their eyes locked on for quick moment.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Would you care to tell us more about the kidnappers?"

This caught Akihiko's attention, finally Jiro was ready to spit out the news.

"Well in the van part, they were covered. So I didn't really see their faces. The Aku is probably the only lead I can give you guys right now. I'm sorry."

"No Jiro you don't have to apologize. Thank you for telling us." Haruhiko reassuringly patted his shoulder gently.

Akihiko frowned at the lack of useful information. But still you get what you get. "Haruhiko we should investigate this Aku guy and see where he'll lead us."

"We should, but we need to know where to find him. We need to track him and see who he is affiliated with."

Akihiko paced to the pile of brochures, he shuffled through to find a particular advertisement and held it in front of his brother. "I assume this maybe our next lead?"

Haruhiko rubbed his chin while contemplating. "That's not a bad idea. Rei did mention that the canine tournament was popular. Assuming that he is there, when does it start?"

"Right now but we could still get in. The grand final hasn't commenced yet though. It's just other dogs fighting each other at the moment."

"Then what are we waiting for? Thank you for time Jiro but we'll be leaving now." Haruhiko rose up from his spot and adjusted his jacket.

"Wait your leaving?! Please take me with you. You two have been the nicest to me and I trust you." The brunette turned to face Haruhiko. "Please take me with you Haruhiko-san. Please! I'd rather serve you then stay locked up down here for the rest of my life. Please!" he begged.

"I'm sorry Jiro it's not exactly freedom you will get. I'm sorry, but we have to go now."

The brunette broke into heart breaking tears and leaned his body against Haruhiko's navy blue jacket. "Please save me. I know I'm not Misaki. But please give me a chance. Please!"

The emotion of desperation, loneliness and fear could be heard in the brunette's sobbing voice. Akihiko couldn't watch the brunette's desperate plea in attempt to escape. It was depressing to see him crying his heart out and wanting to be freed. Misaki would probably do the same if he were in this situation. Akihiko knew he would start to cry too if he stayed any longer to watch this. He couldn't stand watching someone that was close to resembling Misaki being rejected for help. There was nothing they could do unless Haruhiko was willing to accept the challenge.

Jiro appeared as if he were already attached to Haruhiko. The boy pleaded incessantly, his bawling cries grew louder. Jiro slumped down feebly on his knees. His face reddened intensively, lips and facial lines contorted, he cried until air was strangled out of his lungs. He couldn't even barely gasp, only desolated chokes retched from his lips.

"Jiro I'm sorry I can't. You have to understand." Haruhiko whispered to him. Their eyes lowered in commiseration. Melancholy was felt in the air as they watched Jiro's struggle.

"Hey I'm going to wait outside. You two can sort it out," Akihiko said in a low tone. He couldn't withstand the forlorn boy and his unfortunate fate. The silver haired wasn't the type to cry in public, but to see this, it placed him on the verge of tears. Akihiko left the room and sighed wearily. This was a difficult decision and Akihiko wanted no part in this, but yet it still bothered him. He left the painful rejection for his brother. In his heart, he hoped Haruhiko would come up with something beneficial for the brunette. It was now up to Haruhiko and where his heart would lead Jiro's fate too.

Akihiko sauntered downstairs with his hands in his pocket. A familiar voice interrupted his deep contemplation.

"Akihiko. We've been waiting," came the voice of the conspirator.

Akihiko's eyes widened in shock, his body jerked backwards. "What the hell?! Why are you here?!"

Twenty minutes had passed and Haruhiko finally descended down the stairs. His brown eyes were faint pink as if he had been crying. The conversation between the two had been emotional. Unfortunately he could not free Jiro at this moment. He approached the front counter, he wasn't happy with the owner's treatment of the boys behind closed doors. He antagonistically eyed the old man.

"How much do I owe?" He gritted, trying to hold back the assailments.

Yuma's eyes vertically lifted from his paper to Haruhiko, his writing paused. "Oh some men who took your friend had already paid?"

"Someone took my bro—? Wait what happened? Who took my friend?! Where did they go?! Tell me old man!"

"Oh my nothing bad happened I suppose. The men were wearing black suits and were dressed formally. They look like bodyguards more than your average Mafia or gangs. They simply paid and your friend was talking to him like they knew each other. And they went outside."

"How long ago?!"

"Twenty minutes ago I guess."

Haruhiko's usual serious demeanor returned. Who was this person who took his brother and why? If anything were to negatively harm Akihiko, his father would blame him, especially being the oldest. Haruhiko stormed out of Yasei-ji and stopped when he saw his father's men outside waiting for him by a carriage like car.

"Tadao?! What are you doing here? Where's Akihiko and father?"

"Haruhiko sorry to startle you. Your father is here and wants me to bring you two to him." Fuyuhiko's personal and trustworthy bodyguard approached him. The guard had short black cropped hair with the middle spiking up naturally, his jaws were narrowly mature and eyes were dark brown.

"Shit, my father's here?" He muttered underneath his breath. "Where's Akihiko?"

"In this carriage. Please hurry your father is expecting you two."

Tadao opened the door formally for Haruhiko to enter. Inside he sat in the back seat next to his brother.

"You know how worried I was when that old man told me some men took you away. You know how angry father would be if something happened to you. You shouldn't wander off like that!" Haruhiko chided.

"Hah. Worried?" Akihiko scoffed. "I didn't wander off. I just went downstairs when I saw Tadao and his men waiting for us."

"They knew we were here? They must of tracked us."

"So what on Earth is he doing in this type of place? I'm not interested in seeing him."

"I don't know but we've got no choice."

"Damn. How did things go with Jiro?"

"I…its…well," his brother stuttered. "I had to decline him. I don't really want to talk about this. Let's just move on."

"I see." Akihiko spoke lower than usual. He was fairly disappointed that Haruhiko had rejected the poor boy. He knew his brother had made a tough decision, hence he didn't want to question any further.

The two sat in silence when the car begun to accelerate off. From the second window, Jiro's palm rested against the transparent glass as he watched the Usami car take off. His disconsolate green puffy eyes watered continuously down his pink blotchy skin, he gasped whimpers intermittently, his only hope to seeing the warm sun drifted from his reach. He was alone in the shadowy dark, no one came for him. He was left there, because he was not Misaki, he was a nobody. He leaned his forehead against the glass, weeping at the final moment when the car was no longer in sight.

Haruhiko gazed out the window to observe the streets. There were many carriages like car here that were used as a source of transport. Many of those cars were parked outside a large Japanese building with a curved roofing design. A red giant banner of the canine tournament was displayed on the front entrance of the arena. The carriage stopped here and the doors were opened for the brothers to exit.

"So that's why father is here. This is pathetic." Akihiko chuckled lightly in sarcasm.

"Well it is the grand final. So I assume many wealthy businessman would be here including father."

"This way please sir," Tadao called out to them.

The brothers followed Tadao into the building and along the hallways and up an elevator to the top level. They moved further on and into a private booth which had a full view over the arena. They entered the booth to find their father relaxing on a black leather armchair holding a champagne glass in one of his hand, while gazing down onto the arena field. Fuyuhiko placed down his glass of champagne on the table next to him and drew his attention to his sons entering the dark room.

"Ah my sons. You have arrived. Please take a seat. Your just in time for the grand final." The old man grinned calmly.

The brothers sauntered to sit down on the adjacent leather seats. Only three of them were present in the room, the Usami guards including Tadao stood outside to secure the area. The atmosphere was uncomfortable and awkward, the two had never gathered with their father in this sort of setting before.

"What are you doing here?" Haruhiko asked his father with his arms crossed.

"I should be asking you two the same question. As you can see I'm enjoying the tournament. It's a rare battle and worth watching."

"What do you want from us? We're not interest in watching in a bunch of bitches fight. Your wasting our time" Akihiko complained in an arrogant tone. His father was disrupting them from their investigation.

"You mean wasting your time on your search for Misaki? As happy as I am to see you two get along. I refrain you both from getting involved in anything that may bring harm not only to you but to the future of the Usami Corporations." He intertwined his fingers in a professional manner.

"Finding Misaki is not a waste of time!" Akihiko raised his voice. "Like you would understand. All you care about is your corporation. When have you ever been worried about us? We didn't even grow up properly when we lived with you! I love Misaki and you can't prevent me from finding him!"

Haruhiko sat in contemplative silence. He agreed with his brother in secret.

Fuyuhiko sighed deeply. "Akihiko. You don't know what your getting involved into. Your presence is well known here and it represents me. You two came to a place like this, with no bodyguards or protection. You know how dangerous that can be if someone were to assassinate you without any witnesses." He explained in a discontented tone. "Even worse Tadao informed me that you two entered a male brothel. Together. You know how others will perceive that?! Don't bring shame to the Usami!"

"There he goes again about the Usami." Akihiko rolled his eyes.

"Father. We are not children anymore. We haven't associated with anyone dangerous," Haruhiko defended.

"But you have been asking questions haven't you?"

"Only an entertainer so far. No one else," Haruhiko replied.

"We haven't gotten far since you interrupted us."

"Akihiko, Haruhiko. Sons." His father leaned forward. "I know I haven't been a proper father in your eyes. But I do care for you both equally. And I when I say this, I mean it from my heart. I'm sorry if I wasn't able to raise you properly but you two are the only family close to me. Please don't go too deep into this."

The brothers retort were reduced to a muting silence and a unfamiliar feeling to their hearts. After all these years this was the first time their father had spoken to them like this. It made them resentful yet at the same time warm inside. If only their father had said this since the day they were born.

"Ahem." Haruhiko cleared his throat to break the silence. "We don't need your—."

An announcement made by a boisterous male voice from the arena stage interrupted Haruhiko. "Ladies and gentlemen this is the night you've all been waiting for! The fighters are ready! I hope you had a…"

"It's starting. Time to enjoy the show sons. Sit back and enjoy."

"Can me and Har—."

"No." Fuyuhiko cut off Akihiko's sentence. "You two stay. Don't even think about leaving."

Akihiko grinded his teeth and exhaled heavily through his nose. Misaki was his priority. Not some dog show. Unable to disobey or walk out, they capitulated to their father's authoritarian orders. They two sat back and peered down onto the circular arena in defeat. Spectators excitedly gathered around, cheering loudly. A man dressed in a white suit and black vest stood on a podium on the edge of the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, lets bring out our first fighter. This tough dog you all know is one the most deadly and intelligent hunter. This lone wolf was trained to hunt and kill. Ladies and gentlemen I give you White Dagger the Alaskan grey wolf!"

The crowd cheered wildly while sparkles of bright white flames shot out from the sides of the podium. Heavy rock music played in the background as the metal gates below the arena opened. Out came a large grey wolf that was almost the same size as its Western owner. The wolf growled and circled around next to it's owner.

"I betted for that one," Fuyuhiko pointed eagerly.

The brothers glanced at their father simultaneously. He must really be into this kind of entertainment they thought.

"You boys want something to drink?" Fuyuhiko offered them a champagne.

"No thank you," they both declined.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Lets bring out our next opponent. Give it up for Big Bear the Caucasian Shepherd Mountain Dog!"

The metal gate shifted up at the opposite side of the arena. Another slower heavy rock soundtrack was played in the background. Akihiko rolled his eyes over the ridiculous hyped show. They even named the canine creature Big Bear. The silver haired knew nothing could compare itself to his favorite stuffed animal. But as the dog made entrance, his violet eyes lit fixed onto the animal. They dog was huge, almost the same size as it's owner and covered in thick coats of brown fur, similar to a fluffy bear. If Akihiko were to bet in this sport, he would chose Big Bear. A hidden smug came to mind as he imagined his father's chosen dog being devoured and the defeat labelled on his face. The dogs growled pugnaciously at each other, displaying their aggressive nature and sharp canine teeth.

"Ladies and gentlemen. No more waiting in anticipation. Let the battle begiiiinnn!" The man announced on the top of his voice. The crowd roared in excitement.

The match began and the owners scurried off from the arena dirt field. The dogs continued to snarl viciously and circle one another. The shepherd hybrid barked at the wolf. The wolf grew agitated by the relentless barking but continued to circle around its prey like it did in the snowy wild. The shepherd was provoked and ran in for the attack. The wolf dodged and nipped the shepherd's leg causing it to yelp. Fuyuhiko smiled when the wolf used a sneaky tactic. Akihiko felt disappointed with the bite. It was cheap, but the tournament seemed to have caught his interest. The fight continued for about ten minutes. Each dog took nips and bites of each other, until the shepherd fluffy dog managed to get a hold of the wolf's neck with its jaw. The wolf started to whine and yelp in pain. Big Bear bite harder and this time using its paws to help, it snapped the opponent's head. The crowd cheered rapturously and booed at the same time.

"Yes," Akihiko mumbled under his voice in victory. Haruhiko glanced to his brother when he heard him mumbled indistinctly, but later brushed it off. Akihiko turned to his father to watch his reaction. There was a disquieted blank expression on his face before he opened his mouth.

"Hm. Well that was unexpected." He rose from his chair to put on his black coat. "Now I guess its home time. Haruhiko we've got a meeting tomorrow at noon." The brothers stood up from their spot at the same time. "Best to get some rest its late. Akihiko you should spend some time at home with us." Fuyuhiko invited his son home.

"No I don't need you to babysit me. Just drop me off at my apartment. It's more closer."

"Are you sure?"

"I already told you. I'm going back to my apartment," Akihiko disgruntled.

"Okay but if I find you drunk on the streets again, I'm taking you back home where you can sober up."

The three exited the private booth. Haruhiko placed his palm on his brother's shoulders when his father wasn't looking. "We'll come back Akihiko. Misaki won't be going anywhere if he's down here." He whispered quietly to the silver haired. Akihiko grunted, he would need to find a way to sneak back down here without his father knowing.

The two exited the arena and out of underground red light city, escorted by his father and his men. Fuyuhiko and his men entered the city through the same route as the brothers did. The three stood outside the private carparks reserved for the restaurant guests.

"Haruhiko, Akihiko. Please don't let me find you two down there without my permission. I will find out from now on if you do," their father warned.

"Yeah whatever, I'll have to drop off Akihiko first before I'll come home. After all his place is on the way back."

Fuyuhiko hesitated at first, but to see the brothers bond, it made him feel contented. After all of these years of hatred and ignorance, one brunette had been able to influence them to overcome this barrier. Well not fully yet but it was a start.

"Okay you two drive safely. Good night."

Everybody hopped into their respective vehicles and headed off. Haruhiko drove while Akihiko sat in the passenger side. The silver haired found his cigarette pack in the cup compartment.

"I have been dying to smoke one of these since we were down there." Akihiko lit the cigarette with his lighter.

"Oh please Akihiko not in here!" his brother complained. Haruhiko pressed down on a button on the door to partially wind down the glass.

"It's not going to kill you. You complain like Misaki when he does—." Akihiko became lost in his words. Eyes downcast at the fainted voices of Misaki in his head.

'Usagi-san. Have you no manners? I can't breathe in here. You can smoke but at least open the window." Misaki wafted his hands in the smoky air.

Even the simplest things would remind Akihiko of his adorable Misaki. He missed that berating brunette. The loud, chiding atmosphere and the hurling 'baka' often used when Akihiko attempted to grope him.

They drove in silence for a moment. "Well even if father didn't let us explore any further. We still have some lead." Haruhiko said.

"Your right. We need to find this Aku guy. He must be the person responsible for supplying the Mafia. Don't forget we could still scout further if we need to."

"We just have to make sure father is not there. Anyways, there's a lot of men out there named Aku but we could do some research and gather a number of suspects."

"Since you got work tomorrow. I'll see what research I can do back at my apartment."

"Good you do that. Remember try searching their background and history and see if it links with anything. I'll try and ask father and see if he knows anything."

"Why him?"

"He's bound to know something. I just know it. Don't worry I'll deal with father and you do what you do. Just try to keep sober."

"Yeah whatever." Akihiko turned his gaze outside before closing his eyes to think of only one thing; Misaki.

They finally arrived outside Akihiko's apartment.

"See you tomorrow. Wait where are we meeting?" Akihiko asked.

"Your place tomorrow night. I don't want father to interfere with our investigation."

"Alright. Don't be late."

Akihiko exited the black luxury car and made his way up to his apartment. Standing outside the front door, he jingled through his keys to unlock it. Once opened he flicked on the lights in the lounge room to reveal the disorientated mess. He sighed unhappily at the workload that he would need to clean before his older brother would visit for the first time. He wanted to save himself from being criticized, hence he would need to suppress his indolence. A quick and effective way to clean in short amount of time was to shove everything in one room. But that could wait for tomorrow.

Grabbing Suzuki from the lounge, he made his way to his toy covered bedroom. He placed Suzuki next to his pillow and patted the stuffed animal. Unmotivated to full undress into his sleepwear, he exhaustedly slumped into his bed. Laying with the blankets covering up to his waist, he laid there, eyelids partially closed into slits.

'Please save me. I know I'm not Misaki. But please give me a chance. Please!' Jiro's voice reverberated in his head. 'Usagi-san if you don't finish your manuscript. I'm not coming home early. I'll hang out with my friends.'

Akihiko covered his teary eyes with his palm. "Misaki…"

Meanwhile on the other side of town.

A collage of photos were currently being printed from a large printer in an unknown office in Japan. Men dressed in white plastic protective clothing arranged the printed photos, while a conspirator sat on a chair nearby, smoking. The plastic clothing was to prevent contamination of any DNA onto the package that was to be sent out. Orders from Armel were to be followed with strict adherence. This means no evidence were to be traced back to him. The leader that kept the operation within Japan flexed back her feminine fingers to admire her red manicure nails.

"This should be delivered before dawn." The woman smirked maliciously.


	11. Chapter 11 You Got Mail

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

 **{~0~}**

 **You Got Mail**

(11:27pm Italy : 6:27am Japan)

Dawn broke as bright rays appeared across the sky creating a radiant aura. The birds chirped and flew off from branches and onto the edges of the fountain. They pecked on the water to drink, creating small ripples to the calm clear water.

The packages have been delivered to their destination. Now it was up to the receiver to open them.

Mahiro jumped onto his parents bed and prodded his father's face before moving onto poke his mother's forehead.

"Nnn not now sweety," Manami mumbled in her sleep.

"Mama."

Manami slowly opened her sleepy eyes to see her son sitting in between them. He lifted the brown teddy bear Usagi had given to him for his birthday and shook it repeatedly, hoping to attract attention from his mother . The mother smiled and gently caressed her son's soft cheeks.

" Shh sweety. You don't want to wake papa up."

"Mama, " Mahiro cooed. The little boy wanted his mother to feed him to quench his hunger.

Takahiro laid lethargically on the bed with the side of his head buried into the soft pillow. Nightmares of Misaki haunted him at night. He would toss and turn and shiver as he dreamt of the darkness engulfing Misaki. He would always have the same dream every night of his little brother being surrounded by the dark silent mist. His face was blank, emotionless, almost seemed robotic. A dark humanoid shadow was always seen hovering above him as if it were attached to his presence. The repetitive dreams left Takahiro confused on the meaning behind his nightmare. He blamed it on his foolish mind for conjuring up these abhorrent dreams. What he needed was proper rest and a stress reliever. However Misaki's disappearance was still fairly recent and the healing capacity for those grieving were still fractional.

Manami rose from her resting spot and lifted her son up from under his shoulders and carried him outside. She didn't want Mahiro to disturb his father. Takahiro was already having trouble falling asleep that his boss even recommended that he undergo therapy so that he could be prescribed with sedatives. Despite the concerns he had received, he declined their remedial suggestions.

Manami placed Mahiro on the lounge room floor next to his plushy toys. The woman crept back into their bedroom to properly dress out of her robe and into proper clothes consisting of polo shirts and jeans. She organized her husband's work clothes and headed out to the kitchen. She yanked open the fridge and removed a pot of leftover miso soup. Mahiro waddled to his mother and tugged her leg. She ignored his tugs that he would do ever since the day he could crawl. Pouring the soup contents with a ladle into a bowl, she later placed it into a microwave to warm up the soup. After a few swirls around the radiative heat it was time to feed her son breakfast.

Two hours later.

Takahiro adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. The reflection of himself revealed signs of dark circles and bags under his eyes. Ignoring these blemishes he paced into the living room to retrieve his bag for work. He was late for work as he overslept. Manami and Mahiro sat on the lounge watching their morning cartoon shows. Takahiro pecked on his wife and son's head before heading out towards the door.

" See you Manami. See you Mahiro."

" See you honey. Don't stress too much. Take care at work," Manami said with caring tone.

Dressed into his black leather shoes he stepped out onto the front entrance only to notice a brown mail that was left lying on the floor outside his apartment. Now this was strange, he thought. Mail packages were never left outside unless the receiver had signed them. Furthermore mails were only delivered into his letterbox and not directly outside his front door. This was suspicious. Picking up the medium brown thin envelop he read over the jet black ink writing on the front of the mail. Could this be from his wife's family? It couldn't, who could it be? The mail wasn't specifically sent to him or to his wife but rather stated it was to be delivered to the Takahashi family. It has to be from his wife's family the naïve man thought until he turned the mail over to read the back.

His mouth gaped wide open, his pupils widened and his hands tremored as he read the black writing.

 _'From your loving Misaki Takahashi. Please read me, dear family'_

Its from Misaki! Does that mean he's alive! If so this a great news or is it? Takahiro needed to open this mail. He needed to confirm that his younger sibling was unharmed and not described as his nightmare. Gripping tightly on the envelop he stormed back inside his apartment and sat down by the dinner table. Manami was baffled by her husband's sudden intrusion and distressful body language. She rose from her spot, Mahiro was glued to the his favorite cartoon shows.

She placed her palm on his shoulders as she stood beside his right " Honey are you okay?" she asked in concern. She noticed him holding an envelop and read the top writing. " Hm, who sent the mail?".

Takahiro held the envelop tightly in his hands. He turned to face his wife who gazed down onto him in curiosity. All she saw in his eyes were worriment and uneasiness.

" What's wrong Takahiro? Your starting to make me worry here."

" Its from Misaki. I don't know what to do. I don't know what this mail contains. It may be confronting. I don't know what to do Manami."

" Misaki?!" she gasped out loud. " Open it, that means he's alive. Let's see what he has to say."

His wife was right. He needed to open the mail to find out why Misaki disappeared without telling anyone. The pressure was brewing inside his mind. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to know what was in the mail this instance. No more cowardice behaviors. If the contents were confronting, he would need to hold himself together. Falling apart now would not help resolve Misaki's disappearance.

"Your right. I need to know if Misaki is safe," he said in determination.

With his fingers he traced the outer corners to find the glued edges. Once his fingers were caught underneath the corner flap of the envelop he ripped along the edges to open the mail. The envelop was now opened and he pulled out what it appears to be a medium card the size of an A4 paper. The pair gazed down onto the pink decorative card that had silver and peach sparkles with cream ribbons on the corners. The card was interestingly cute but it was the content inside that had them perturbed. He placed his thumbs in between the gaps of the card, ready to open and to reveal what was inside.

"Here it goes," he huffed under his voice.

His thumb motioned the card apart.

"AHHH!"

The pair shriek upon witnessing the graphic images of Misaki's bloodied body. A collage of the four photos were organized to fit on the left side of the card while a message was printed on the right. Takahiro's hand gripped tightly onto the card in anguished pain as he stared into the photos trying to decipher it, hoping what he was seeing was fake. Either this was a prank or Misaki was definitely physically harmed, this was no laughing matter.

Mahiro heard his parent's shriek and waddled into the dining room. He dawdled to his mother and tugged her pants, hoping to gain her attention. Manami turned swiftly around to remove her son away from the room so that he would be unable to peek at the disturbing images. She placed him back on the lounge where his toys and cartoons distracted him. After she made Mahiro comfortable, she scurried back to her husband's side to support him.

Takahiro was seen reading the message on the card. Tears were seen rolling down his cheeks as he read along the lines. His chest tightened and his throat felt dry as feeling of sadness filled inside him. Manami read along the lines as well which wrote:

 _' To the Takahashi family,_

 _Hello, I hope your having a wonderful day without the presence of Misaki near you. Such a pity. Oh don't worry too much, the brat is still alive. I just wanted to show you how much I care for him. Such a pretty sight isn't it. No need to search for him. I own him now. He will be well looked after in my care._

 _From the rightful owner of Misaki.'_

Takahiro closed the card and laid it down on the table. Unwilling to bear the pain anymore he began to sob uncontrollably. He covered his face with his left palm while the other arm rested on the table. Manami patted and rubbed his back as she watched him breakdown. She felt sorry for what her husband had to go through. Manami herself also felt pained by the situation as she had accepted Misaki as her own younger brother.

" Why Misaki? Why my little brother? Why him?" Takahiro cried.

Why was his brother targeted? Did anyone hold anything against him or his family? If so who would commit such heinous acts towards him. Takahiro needed to know.

" I know your upset Takahiro but the most important thing is that Misaki is still alive."

" I don't know Manami. This is too much to bear,". Takahiro took a deep breath and wiped away his tears. " I feel so hopeless…I…I need to call Usagi," he stuttered in a low tone. " We have to alert the detective."

" What about work?"

" Don't worry about work. This is an emergency."

He needed to alert his best friend about the dreadful news. After all Usagi was the one who hired the private detective to help them locate Misaki. Takahiro pulled out his flip up cell phone and punched in the buttons to call Usagi. He held the phone close to his ear and waited for his friend to answer.

[~¥~]

(SFX Cell Phone Ringing)

"Nnngrr," the silver haired groaned.

The constant ringing disrupted his sleep. Feeling groggy, he motioned his lifeless arm to reach for his phone that he placed on the drawers by his bed. He patted on the table to search for his phone. He hated the mornings. Who would call him early at this time? After a few pats he felt his phone and grabbed it. Bringing it closer to his face, his accepted the call without looking at the caller ID.

" Hello?" he answered groggily.

["Usagi!"] came the frantic voice of Takahiro.

The silver haired eyes widened. "Takahiro?! What's wrong? Is everything alright? You sound troubled."

["Usagi, I need your help. I'm coming over now. I need you to call the detective now. Something bad has happened!"]

" What do you mean something bad has happened? Are you hurt?!"

["I'm fine but I fear someone is playing a prank on us. Usagi…Misaki is alive but…]

Akihiko sat up instantly and interrupted Takahiro. " Did you just say Misaki is alive? Where? How do you know this?". Akihiko's heart raced upon hearing Misaki's name and the word alive.

["Usagi. I don't know but someone sent me confronting images of Misaki in a mail to my family,"]. There was a deep sigh. [I'm worried about Misaki but I'm also worried about my family. Somebody knows where I live. I'm worried about my family's safety. I'm coming over there now."]

"Takahiro, what do you mean confronting images? Is Misaki there with you?"

["No Misaki is not here. The images are very disturbing. Usagi we need to show this to the detective. I'll be there with my family. I'm not leaving them behind. Its not safe."]

" Okay. Stay safe Takahiro," Akihiko replied in a concerned tone.

The line ended and Akihiko scrunched tightly on his phone. What were the confronting images? Was Misaki harmed? He better not be Akihiko thought.

His phone rang again.

Was it Takahiro again? He gazed down at the phone screen.

"Haruhiko?!".

Akihiko answered the phone.

"What is it? This better be good."

[Akihiko! I'm coming over. This is urgent. It's about Misaki."]

[~¥~]

7:30 am at the Usami Residence before Takahiro woke up.

Haruhiko had difficulties falling asleep since the incident last night. He laid there restlessly, tossing and turning in reminiscence guilt ever since the rejection. Why must the desperate pleas of the brunette remain constant in his head? The man didn't want his emotions to control him. He was used to being cold, arrogant and living life to where people expected him to be like his father. Misaki was the only person he feel in love with. But why was Jiro's voice and his puppy like eyes stuck in his head. Compared to Misaki, Jiro displayed raw emotions that touched his heart. He remembered when he removed the cuffs from the brunette, the boy refused to latch off him. Begging, sobbing and pleading continuously until Haruhiko gave in. No matter how many times he had rejected the brunette, the boy still fought for his freedom. He demonstrated his strength and courage. Something that Haruhiko was not used to seeing in a human and it captivated him.

His alarm rang.

Haruhiko shook his head in frustration. It was time to get ready for work. Dressed in his suit as always, he adjusted his tie. His father should be awake by now. That man never rests when it comes to his corporation.

(SFX Knock Knock)

Someone had knocked on Haruhiko's bedroom door.

"Come in."

The door opened and in came Tanaka. He bowed to formally greet him.

" Haruhiko sir, your father requests for you immediately."

Haruhiko nodded at the notice and went straight to his father's office. He approached the brown closed door and opened it to find his father sitting behind his central desk. His father didn't raise his head upon his son's entrance. Something was wrong and Haruhiko could tell by his body language. The old man's posture was rigid as he stared down with an almost disquieted expression.

"You called for me?" he asked. Haruhiko moved closer to the desk. He noticed a paper sized pink card on the desk between his father's spread resting arms.

Fuyuhiko sighed. " This is why I don't want you two getting involved in anything relating to Misaki."

Haruhiko was confused at the moment until his father slid the card across the table towards him. Staring down at the pink card, he lifted it up. Slowly analyzing the decorative design, he proceeded to open the card.

"Gah!" he gasped at the pictures of Misaki's beaten body. "What the hell is this!?" he bellowed as he read the message Armel had written to Fuyuhiko and the Usami residents .

 _'To the Usami family or specifically to Usami Fuyuhiko_

 _Hello. I hope everything with your corporation is going as planned. You know with all the threats and bullying of the innocent. Right now I'm bullying someone innocent whom you might know. You know his name. He won't be joining you for lunch, I'm sorry since he's mine now. And don't be alarmed he's still alive. I promise I'll look after him with the best care. You don't have to worry about him becoming your future son-in-law. You can worry about your atrocious company which I hope won't succeed. Fuyuhiko, one day I'll see you dead, including your sons. But I'll do that later, right now I'm having fun with Misaki._

 _From your worst enemy.'_

Haruhiko slammed the card down on the desk with his palm. His face withered with fury." Does he think he can threaten us like that?!".

"Haruhiko. I don't know who sent this but don't you think coincidently we received this threat after you two went down there to look for Misaki?".

" How do you even know it was because of us? It says it was specifically for you. How did you get this card and when?"

"Tanaka found it this morning outside the front door. Someone must of trespassed. My men are looking into it now."

Haruhiko took a step back to think thoroughly. He turned to glance at his father. "It doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense? It's clear that we are dealing with a stalker who has something against our corporation and is now seeking vengeance."

" Then how does he or she know about Misaki's relationship…unless someone…wait! Jiro?!". Haruhiko suddenly realized the only person that knew Misaki was in a relationship was him.

" You mean the prostitute? I had some of my men stay behind to find that boy last night after you two left. I didn't want to deal with the risk associated so I had it removed."

"What?!". His face turned to a cold glare. "You didn't harm him did you?!"

" No we just simply removed him from that environment and interrogated him. I'm quite surprised with his resemblance to Misaki."

" What do you mean? What have you done to him?". Haruhiko furrowed his brows as he questioned his father.

Fuyuhiko pressed the button on the phone next to his right. "Tadao you can enter my office now,". He then resumed back to face his son with his fingers intertwined into a fist on the table. "Tadao should be here."

"What do you mean he should be-?"

Haruhiko was interrupted when Tadao entered the room with someone behind him.

"Jiro?!" Haruhiko yelled. He was shock to see the brunette here who was still dressed in his white robe.

"Haruhiko?!". The brunette was also shocked to see him here too.

Tadao moved closer to his boss. "Sir we've checked the parameter. Its all secured. I'll have more guards stationed around the mansion and set up the patrols in the property. We'll try our best to ensure your safety," said the black short haired guard.

In the meantime while Fuyuhiko discussed security measures with Tadao, Haruhiko and Jiro stood there in awkward silence. Jiro kept his head down like always before Haruhiko approached him.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

The boy lifted his head, he flinched slightly but later expressed a disappointed face. Jiro was still mad at Haruhiko for rejecting him last night.

" I'm fine. Can't believe those men purchased me to be here. What's going to happen to me?" he asked with a concerned and anxious face.

" I don't know. Hang on. I need to question my father."

"Father?" Jiro mumbled under his breath in surprise. That man was Haruhiko's father? Jiro was only introduced to Fuyuhiko this morning. Not many youths nowadays cared about the families of the corporations, neither did Jiro.

" Father what is going to happen to Jiro?" Haruhiko interrupted his father and Tadao. The two men conversing paused and turned to face Haruhiko.

" Well that's the difficult part,". Fuyuhiko sighed. " He can't be taken back to his family. He knows too much therefore he would not only be a risk to us but also a risk to his family. Any information leaked about the underground city and every criminal and syndicate will be after his head. I've already told him this but overall I have no use for him. Maybe he'll be useful for you and Akihiko to get Misaki out of your heads. So do whatever you want with it, just keep it out of my sight."

Jiro felt disheartened over the conversation but he remained quiet. He knew what Fuyuhiko meant but he didn't want to be somebody's whore. Haruhiko's eyelid twitched at the comment. This was going to be problematic. He didn't have time to babysit Jiro while trying to find Misaki and balance out his work. This was going to be a difficult and stressful time for him.

" Ahem. Aside from Jiro's situation what's going to happen now? Are we going to investigate who did this?".

"Tadao is taking care of the investigation."

" How is he suppose to locate Misaki?"

"Oh he's not. We're just ensuring the safety of the Usamis and preventing another threat."

"What?! So your not investigating Misaki! How selfish can you be?!"

"Haruhiko. Whatever is happening to Misaki, there's not much we can do. I'm sorry. I wish I can help Misaki but there are too many risks involved and unanswered questions."

" Excuses! Your just afraid. If your not going to find Misaki then fine. We don't need your help!"

"HARUHIKO!" his father shouted. The old man stood from his chair and slammed his left fist on the table to demonstrate his authority. Everybody in the room jumped slightly when the man displayed his fury. "I am not making excuses! You need to wake up to reality! Damn! You know what…just…whatever is happening now, you don't even know how big this is. Don't rush into something you can't get out off,".

"How do you even know this is big? It might just be a group of small criminals or psychopath that maybe doing this," Haruhiko argued back.

Fuyuhiko opened the card and pointed at the third photo for his son to see. "You see that wall behind Misaki's face. You tell me what that is, as an architect you should know."

Haruhiko gazed down at the photo and noticed something on the walls. His eyes widened. "That can't be what I'm thinking."

"Yes Haruhiko. Luxtouch tiles. The most expensive décor for walls and floors in the world. You tell me a group of small criminals or psychopath can afford that? We're dealing with someone with wealth and power here."

Haruhiko stood there speechlessly. This was indeed bigger than he had anticipated.

His father was extremely stressed, he cursed under his breath before resuming to sitting back down on his chair. "Now if you excuse us, Tadao and I have some discussion of our own to do."

"Fine you discuss about your safety while in the meantime, get Tadao to give you a lift to your meeting. I'm going over to Akihiko."

His father shot a glare at Haruhiko. " Don't you two dare go back down there," he ordered.

"Who said we're going back to that dreadful place. I'm just visiting him," Haruhiko replied back in a discontented tone. Such a condescending jerk he thought to himself.

Despite him telling his father that he wouldn't actually return to the red light city, this was in fact a lie. Haruhiko would need to find a way to sneak back into the city without his father knowing.

" Remember I have eyes and ears everywhere. So behave. You can leave my office now."

"Oh I'll behave," he gritted. Haruhiko turned and grabbed the brunette's right arm. " Let's go Jiro."

"Where are we going?" the brunette asked.

" Out!" he replied loudly.

"Oh okay."

"Oh by the way Haruhiko sir,". Tadao called out to the pair. " I'd be careful handling that kid. He bites,". Tadao raised up his left hand to display the white bandages wrapped around his palm.

" He only bites idiots that don't know how to handle him!" Haruhiko replied as he stormed out of the office with Jiro.

The pair headed out of the office and downstairs to the garage. Haruhiko unlocked his black luxury car and opened the front passenger door for Jiro to enter. He then paced around the car and entered the driver's seat. Finally they headed out onto the road and to Akihiko's apartment.

Haruhiko pulled out his cell phone while driving. Not a very safe thing to do but he didn't care. Searching for his brother's phone contact they exchanged for the first time from last night, he scrolled down until he found Akihiko's number. He pressed call and held it to his ear whilst driving with his left hand. Jiro gazed out to view the beautiful sunny morning. He was free from the brothel but he wasn't completely free. But being partially free was enough for Jiro. Just as long as he could walk around, eat something nice and see the sun without being trapped underground. He just hoped Haruhiko was the type of man he hoped him to be and not some sadistic bastard.

Akihiko answered his phone.

[What is it? This better be good."]

"Akihiko! I'm coming over. This is urgent. It's about Misaki."

[What?! Did you receive something about Misaki too?!"]

"Yes father received some graphical images of Misaki's body. But according to the sender, it claims that Misaki is still alive but he's being held captive. What do you mean by I received something about Misaki as well?"

[Fuck this is bad! Misaki's older brother Takahiro also received something relating to confronting images of Misaki. He's coming over. He wants me to call the detective. Why the hell is happening? Wait did you say father received the images?!"]

"Yes he did. I'll tell you the full story when we get there. Akihiko don't call the detective. It's a waste of time. This is bigger than we thought, even father is scared to investigate. I'll tell you everything when I get there. There's too much to talk about right now,". The was a pause at the other end. "Akihiko?"

[Yeah I hear you. Just get your ass here."]

The line ended abruptly.

[~¥~]

Akihiko threw his phone on the floor. "Arghhh!" he shouted in frustration, anger and pain. This is too sudden. Akihiko sobbed silently over the thoughts of his lover harmed. Was it because of the search? Did the perpetrator figure out he was looking for Misaki? The only person who knew this was Jiro. Only Jiro. It had to be that kid Akihiko thought. He scrunched his fists. When Haruhiko gets here, they're going straight back down to the underground red light city regardless of what his father had told them. He needed to find out if anyone had approached or questioned the brunette.

The silver haired moved out from under his blanket and into the bathroom where he turned on the tap to wash his tear stained face. Holding both hands under the tap to catch the water he splashed and patted it all over his face. He stood there silently contemplating with his face staring down at the sink while his hands supported his leaning body.

So Takahiro and the Usami family have received disturbing images of Misaki through mail. So does that mean he would receive them too? Now driven by curiosity, Akihiko paced out of bathroom and headed down quickly towards the front door. He opened it and was shocked to find that there was indeed a mail parcel outside his front door that wasn't there when he got back. A surge of fear swept through him as he stared down at the suspicious mail. Was this the confronting images his family and best friend had received?

The silver haired bent down to pick up the mail off from the floor. He turned back inside his apartment with the mail in his hand and closed the door. It was time to find out what all the panic was about. He read over the writings on the brown mail.

 _'To Usami Akihiko'_ it wrote on the front. The person who sent this must of known who he was. Flipping over to the back, Akihiko was affronted by the perpetrator's claim to be Misaki. He ripped open the sides of the brown mail and pulled out a pink card. Staring at the pink card in his right hand, he blinked a couple of times in confusion. His confusion soon faded when he realized the decorative design of the card was only used to deceive him.

Using his left hand he lifted open the card to reveal the images of Misaki on the left. It was true, Misaki was harmed and beyond his imagination as well. There was so much blood on his back. Akihiko could see the lacerated wounds on the brunette's back. He felt sick to the gut viewing these photos. He stood there, his teary violet eyes narrowed as he glanced down at his wounded lover. His poor Misaki. Such excruciating pain he had to endure. Akihiko sniffled lightly as sorrowful pain took control of him. He lightly caressed the photo with his left thumb on the photo which displayed Misaki's beaten face. It took him a few minutes to take this all in before moving on to read the red font notes on the right.

 _'Hello Akihiko,_

 _How are you coping without the presence of your lover? Your better off moving on. Misaki is mine now. Mine forever. I bought him. He's my property and I'll do whatever I want with his delicate body. By the way don't be alarmed by the sight of the magnificent crimson red liquid on his back and face. Each blood lost is a sign of my nurturing and caring ways. Don't worry I'll care for his needs. Pets like him are easy to look after, just lock them in a cage, feed them scraps and play with them when your bored. I reassure you that Misaki will never miss you. While I have him I'll make sure I will deprive him of his needs and of himself._

 _From the rightful owner of Misaki.'_

His despair soon transitioned into heated rage after reading the note. He scrunched the card tightly while he breathed in heavily. His blood boiled. Someone dared to hurt his lover. His only one and only lover.

"Whoever your are, I will find you and I will kill you. You won't get away for hurting Misaki you fucking piece of shit. Misaki is not your property," he disgruntled with an enraged expression. He chucked the card on the floor with all his strength.

Akihiko was now fueled with the desire to seek vengeance against who did this. He cursed out loudly as he stomped around his lounge room in circles. He threw punches at cushions and even knocked over the furniture to vent out his anger. His Misaki was sold. His brother was right. Misaki suffered the same fate as the other victims.

"MISAKI!" he yelled out his lovers name. He slumped down onto his knees and sobbed uncontrollably while gasping in intervals for air. "Misaki. I love you," he cried with his hands covering his face.

[~¥~]

Jiro's stomach grumbled as they drove silently on the highway. The brunette blushed in embarrassment. He placed his arm around his stomach to silence the grumbles.

"Are you hungry?"

"Umm, a bit. I haven't eaten proper food since I was kidnapped."

" I see."

Haruhiko continued to drive. His facial expression was always the same, either neutral or serious.

Is he going to ask me if I want anything to eat? What an insolent man, I'm starving here, the brunette complained internally.

The car exited the highway and into a suburb. Haruhiko pulled over in front of a homemade bakery store.

He turned his head to the brunette. "What do you want to eat?"

"Umm I can't make up my mind right now but anything with chicken is nice I guess," he replied nervously.

The was a moment of awkward silence between the two before Haruhiko spoke.

"I'll be right back. Don't run off or my father will be disappointed."

"I promise I won't. Your father made it clear to me this morning about running away."

"Then you'll understand that it is now my duty to babysit you."

Haruhiko left the car and moved towards the shop before turning around and pressing a button on his keys to lock the brunette inside. Jiro crossed his arms and pouted when he heard the car lock.

"Can't believe he doesn't trust me," the brunette mumbled.

The man entered the shop. He pushed open the glass door and into the bakery. The bakery was full of patisseries, bread and sweets decorated with various patterns including a hello kitty themed baked goodies. Haruhiko didn't have time to find a proper place to feed the brunette therefore a quick visit to a local bakery will do. Unable to decide what to buy he approached the counter.

"Helloo! How may I help you today sir?" came the voice of a young woman in her twenties. Her hair was dyed pink and she wore large blue contact lenses with thick dark eyeliner, which gave Haruhiko a mini heart attack after seeing her failed raccoon eyes.

"Uh,". He was distracted by her thick rainbow false eyelashes. "Um I want something with chicken in it."

She lifted the silver tongs with one hand in the air while her other hand was rested on her waist. "We have a lot a pastry which have chicken in it sir. Will it be chicken pie, chicken sandwich, chicken quiche or chicken puffs?"

Haruhiko didn't have time to pick the one Jiro will like. Feeling frustrated he decided to order one of each. "One of each will do."

"Okay sir. Would you like a drink with that?"

"Water will be fine."

Jiro fidgeted around the interior of the black luxury car. This was his first time being in a vehicle like this. He admired the texture. He toyed around the with the cup holders and openable compartments but stopped when he saw Haruhiko exiting the bakery. He was astonished when he saw the older man carrying with both of his hands bags of baked goods. Haruhiko struggled to remove the keys from his trousers pocket.

Once unlocked, Haruhiko opened Jiro's side door and dumped the bags of food on his lap. "There, that should feed you for the day."

Jiro stared in shocking surprise at the pile of food on his lap. He didn't have to purchase nearly the whole bakery. Haruhiko closed the door and went around to the driver's seat. He turned on the car and reversed. In the meantime Jiro shuffled through the plastic bags, looking through all the baked goodies. His mouth watered at the sight of warm pastry. Turning to Haruhiko, he smiled gently.

" Thank you Haruhiko."

"No need to thank me. Just eat."

As cold as Haruhiko may seem, he's actually not that bad the brunette thought as he took a bite out of the chicken puffs.

The two were now on their way to Akihiko's apartment after the short delay to feed the hungry brunette.

[~¥~]

His breathing and sobbing eased down overtime. Slowly coming back to his sense, he rose from his spot and glanced around the messy and disorganized apartment. His brother and best friend were coming over. He didn't have the motivation nor the energy to properly clean the apartment. That was Misaki's job but he wasn't here anymore to get that done. Using the memories of Misaki cleaning and berating his mess, Akihiko used this as his motivation to get him moving. Maybe it might help him forget about that atrocious note he read.

Making his way to the kitchen, he picked up the dirty dish. Now what was he supposed to do with it? Upset and unmotivated he shoved all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Despite it being in the dishwasher, he didn't know how to operate it since Misaki never used it or taught him. So he just left the dirty dishes and cups in there hoping no one would open it. Glancing around the lounge room from the kitchen sink, he groaned in discontent.

"Nghhhhh fuck this! Why the hell is everyone coming over?!" he grumbled loudly.

Cursing out loud and complaining non stop, he grabbed everything off the floor and table and threw them into a spare room on the first floor. Books, clothes, cigarette butts, beer cans, bears and anything out of the ordinary were thrown into the room. Loud sounds of objects cracking and breaking were heard but he didn't care. He was venting out his temper through cleaning. Furniture were forcefully kicked and pulled into their original position.

Finally he was done, the apartment was back to normal. His best friend was coming over. Should he also show Takahiro what was sent to him. This was a going to be difficult. If Takahiro were to read the letter sent to him then his relationship with Misaki would be uncovered. He knew he had to reveal his relationship to his best friend one day. Why not now? If he loves Misaki, then he should stand up for whom he loves and confront Takahiro. It was now or never.

[~¥~]

Twenty minutes later.

Takahiro pulled his car over to the side of the road. The Takahashi family had arrived outside the Usami apartment.

"We're here. Lets go Manami."

The three exited their vehicle and headed towards Usagi's apartment. They stood outside the front door and knocked. Akihiko opened the door in response to the knocking to let them in.

"Usagi! Is the detective here?!" he asked frantically.

"Unagi," Mahiro cooed in his mother's arm when he saw Akihiko open the door.

"Takahiro. I'm sorry the detective isn't here. I'll tell you soon why. But first I need to have a word with you about Misaki," Akihiko spoke calmly with a soft tone.

"Usagi what do you mean he's not here? Is he late? I have evidence of the letter here. Misaki is in danger!" Takahiro cried with a worried expression as he followed Akihiko towards the sofa.

He held the card to Akihiko when he sat down on the adjacent sofa. Manami sat next to her husband with Mahiro in her lap.

"This is the card I received in the mail Usagi. We need to give this to the detective. He can help find fingerprints or clues to Misaki's kidnappers."

Akihiko sighed and held his palm up to decline the card. "Takahiro I know your extremely worried about Misaki. But your not the only one who has to feel the brunt of this. We'll talk about the card later but first I need to get something very important across to you."

Takahiro withdrew the card from the air. "What is more important than Misaki, Usagi?"

"Takahiro I don't how your going to take this, but as your best friend for more than ten years I'm going to tell you something I should off told you long time ago,". Akihiko looked directly into Takahiro's eyes. He waited until his friend was ready to listen. "Misaki and I are lovers."

"WHATTT!?" both Takahiro and his wife shouted in unison.

" Misaki and my best friend!? How is this possible? How long have you being doing this behind my back with my younger brother. I trusted you to look after him. Not sleep with him!"

"Takahiro you have every right to be angry with me. But I'm going to come out clean with you to settle this. I know your worried and shock just as I am about Misaki but please listen to what I have to say."

" You better tell me everything. I can't believe this. I feel like punching you right now," Takahiro gritted. He was appalled at his best friend. This was not his usual calm personality, however under stressful conditions Takahiro snapped.

Akihiko took a deep breath. It was time to confess everything all at once.

"Takahiro. Me and Misaki have been together since he moved in. I love him and he loves me. This relationship was not forced I can assure you that. The reason we haven't told you yet is because we feared that you will separate us. I'm sorry I wished I could of told you this earlier. So please take your time to take this all in. I'm going out for a smoke. I'll be right back. I hope you will understand by then."

Akihiko stood from his spot and left the lounge room to smoke outside on his balcony. He lit his cigarette and inhaled the smoke into his lungs. He retained the smoke in his lungs, hoping that the chemicals would be absorbed into his bloodstream more rapidly to relieve his stress. He needed to give time and space for his best friend to cope with the confession.

Takahiro remained speechless. He felt utterly shock and disbelieved at the confession. His wife rubbed his back again. He came here hoping to bring evidence to the detective but instead he gets informed that his brother was in a relationship with his best friend. Akihiko of all people as well. A man who couldn't barely even look after himself.

" Takahiro please don't be too upset about this. At least Misaki was happy. That's all that matters."

(SFX Door Knocking)

Manami and Takahiro turned their heads to the front door.

"Is it the detective?" his wife asked curiously.

"I don't know. But I'll see. Stay here Manami."

Takahiro stood from his seat and moved towards the door to find out who was knocking. He was hoping for it to be the detective but when he carefully opened the door, he was greeted by an unexpected pair.

"Umm who are you?" Takahiro asked curiously before he spotted a brunette munching on a baked pastry behind the brown haired man. "MISAKI!?".

The brunette stopped munching when he heard someone mistaken him for Misaki. Shit not again he thought. He hid behind Haruhiko for protection with his head down like usually. He gripped tightly on the bags of pastry with his other hand.

"Misaki is that you?! Who are you? Move aside. That's my brother!" Takahiro yelled causing Manami to rise from her seat to glance over to the door.

Haruhiko blocked the man's path before he could reach for the shy brunette. "He's not Misaki. You must be Takahiro. Misaki's older brother."

"How do you know my name? If he isn't Misaki then why hide him?!"

"I'm not Misaki I'm Jiro!" the brunette called out from behind Haruhiko.

Haruhiko stood aside to reveal the brunette. "See he isn't Misaki. They look alike but they're different."

Jiro pouted at Takahiro. He didn't want the man to embrace him like Akihiko did back down at the brothel. He hated strangers touching him. Takahiro eyes widened in perplexity. Their resemblance, it's so close except for the voice and the attitude.

" Now if you excuse us Takahiro. I'm looking for Akihiko, we have important things to discuss."

"Who are you?"

" My name is Usami Haruhiko and this is Jiro, something. He's still yet to tell me his last name. It's complicated. Now if you could let us in please. We don't have all day to stand out here."

" You're a Usami?"

"Yes I am. I'm related to the idiot that lives here."

Takahiro paused for a moment. "Fine but he's outside on the balcony smoking."

The two entered the apartment. Takahiro closed the door slowly as he watched them enter. Particularly the brunette. Takahiro noticed the boy had a bruised nose. What happened to him and why was he wearing a night silk robe during the day? He also recalled Akihiko having a purple nose as well this morning. What on earth is going on? Manami was thinking the same but she kept quiet.

The pair glanced around the spacious apartment as they entered. This was their first time here. Jiro was marveled at how wealthy the Usami brothers were. After all he was just an ordinary university student trying to study to make a living in the future.

"Misagi!" Mahiro called out to his favorite uncle. He tried to unravel himself from his mother's arm. The pair turned around to see a young toddler grinning at them.

"No Mahiro that is not Misaki. He's Jiro I think that's what I heard," his mother explained.

"Yes sorry I'm not Misaki little one. My name is Jiro. Nice to meet you," the brunette waved nervously to the little boy.

"Misagi!" the toddler pointed. This time he tried to leap out of his mother's lap.

"Woouu Mahiro!" Manami held tightly onto her son before he could hurt himself.

The brunette chuckled nervously at the toddler's persistency. Takahiro eyes remained fixed on the brunette. Seeing Jiro reminded him of Misaki which brought back the cheerful memories they spent together. Haruhiko also paused for a moment to watch the toddler's interaction with Jiro.

Akihiko blew a puff of smoke into the air which dissipated rapidly. He moved his violet iris to the corner of his eyes to quickly glance over at Takahiro through the glass windows. He moved his eye back after he saw Takahiro but turned around suddenly when he realized Haruhiko was in the apartment, and with Jiro as well! What was the brunette doing here? Did Haruhiko purchase him from the owner? This puzzled Akihiko but the brunette reminded him of something important. That's right, he needed to question that kid about anyone approaching him.

The silver haired quickly extinguished his cigarette and stormed back inside his apartment. He slid open the glass door. "Jiro!" he roared.

"Ah! What did I do!? Please don't hit me!". The brunette jumped up in fear from the sudden outburst. He quickly scrambled behind Haruhiko. Obviously he was still traumatized from Akihiko punching him with such ruthless strength.

Everybody turned to face Akihiko. The room fell into silence. Takahiro crossed his arms in disappointment after the brunette's protest. What did he mean by don't hit me? Was Usagi abusing this kid!?

" I need to talk to you!" Akihiko demanded. He stomped towards the pair.

Haruhiko extended his arm out to prevent Akihiko from approaching further. "Akihiko, calm down!"

"What's he doing here? I need to know if anyone questioned him last night."

"No one approached him besides the Usami guards. They brought him back right after we left the brothel by orders of our father to prevent information leakage," Haruhiko explained with his usual serious expression.

"What!? Father purchased him!"

"Yes and he was placed him under my care."

Akihiko motioned his head sideways to view the brunette hiding behind his brother. His frightened puppy like eyes peering back at him as he clutched onto Haruhiko's jacket. Jiro nodded shyly in agreement with Haruhiko's explanation.

"BROTHEL!?" Takahiro exclaimed out loudly. Everybody in the room turned their attention to him. This wasn't the gentle naïve Takahiro they knew. " What the hell is going on here!? What's with this brothel purchasing, don't hit me and information leakage nonsense? You better tell me now Usagi. I trusted you!"

Akihiko sighed in defeat. "Okay I'll tell you everything Takahiro but please what we tell can be quite shocking. Please keep this conversation confidential between all of us. Let's just all have a seat first, we have a lot to cover."

Everybody took a seat on the sofas. Takahiro sat displeasingly by his wife's side with his arms still crossed. Haruhiko and Jiro sat on the opposite sofa from the Takahashi family while Akihiko was sat on the sofa between them. Jiro placed the plastic bags of food by his foot. Manami gently smiled at the brunette while Takahiro shot glaring daggers at Akihiko.

Akihiko took a deep breath. " Takahiro there's something you should know. This may upset you but Misaki was a victim of trafficking."

"What!? How do you know this?" he asked frantically. Manami placed her palm on his arm to help him ease down his tone.

"I'll get to there soon,". He turned to face his brother. "Haruhiko your theory with Misaki being involved in trafficking was correct,". Akihiko pulled out the folded pink card from his pocket. "This was the letter I received this morning outside my apartment. Was yours similar?"

He handed the card to Haruhiko, who then proceeded to read the note. Jiro managed to peek at the images of Misaki with the corner of his eyes. He cringed upon seeing it and immediately shifted his eyes elsewhere.

"You received the same mail as well!?" Takahiro questioned.

"Takahiro can I please see the card you received?" Akihiko requested as he extended his hand out.

"Fine" he grunted. Takahiro leaned forward and handed the card to Akihiko. The silver haired opened the card. His heart sunk as he glanced over the same photos. The message sent to the Takahashi family was different to his. Clearly the owner must of thought through what he was going to write to each person.

"These pictures are the same but the messages are different,". He closed the card and gave it back to Takahiro. "Haruhiko you said father also received this mail. Do you have it with you?"

Haruhiko closed the card. "No he's holding onto it. It was a direct threat to father, us and the corporation. The pictures were the same as your card. If Misaki was definitely sold then we must be dealing with someone with wealth and power."

"How come the Usamis also received the cards?" Takahiro asked Haruhiko.

"We don't know but somehow someone knew Akihiko was in a relationship with Misaki. If the owner of Misaki had anything against the Usamis then he would be physically harmed in order to taunt us. Unless the owner was just doing this for his or her own satisfaction to bring mischief to whom Misaki holds dearly. But we still don't know or understand their motive yet."

Takahiro's eyes were becoming slightly watery. " Was he really was sold? Can I see the letter that was sent to Usagi please."

Haruhiko glanced over to his brother for approval. Akihiko nodded allowing Haruhiko to hand over the card to Takahiro. Reaching out for card, he proceeded to open and read. Manami covered her son's eyes with her hand. Takahiro hands were trembling as he read along the lines. The words written to Usagi were more cruel and sickening than the one Takahiro had received. Rather than crying over the matter, a surge of resentment begun to build up within the man. Misaki was not a property and he will not be deprived of anything. No one should ever dare lay their hands on his adorable younger brother. But little did he know that Armel was just getting started with his sadistic tortures.

" We…,".Takahiro swallowed his dry throat and sighed heavily. "We need to find out who did this. We need to save Misaki from this bastard."

"And that's what we're trying to do. Takahiro. Last night me and Haruhiko went to an illegal underground red light city to search for Misaki."

"You went to an illegal city!? You mean the rumored hidden city that everybody thought was a myth? Are you implying that you are criminals!?"

"No we're not criminals!" Akihiko protested.

"Takahiro. Yes the city exists. Yes we went down but no we're not criminals," Haruhiko informed him.

"Then how did you managed to get into the city?"

"That city is not only for wealthy criminals but also for other wealthy citizens such as diplomats, businessman, politicians and even actors. The Usamis are powerful figures and our influence allows us to enter the city without hesitation," Haruhiko continued.

" So what did you find down there? Did you manage to find any clues in relation to Misaki?"

" We were only there for a couple of hours until our father had interrupted our investigation, fearing that we might associate with someone dangerous. Although the only person we associated with was that kid over there," Akihiko looked towards the brunette.

Everybody turned to Jiro who had drifted off to sleep sometime during the conversation. The poor boy was exhausted since he didn't receive any sleep at all last night. He had been transported, interrogated and lectured by Fuyuhiko on the consequences of escaping. His sleepy head laid resting on the side of the couch arm.

"Jiro?". Haruhiko shook the brunette lightly on his shoulders, hoping to wake him up. The brunette mumbled indistinctly but resumed back to sleep. Haruhiko then decided to let the boy rest.

"Back to where we were. We searched around a brothel and we requested for all the brunettes. That's how we stumbled on Jiro and we questioned him on how he got kidnapped. The only lead we got was someone named Aku. Takahiro I know your upset about our relationship but I'm willing to search for Misaki even if it means associating with Japan's most dangerous criminals. I love Misaki and will do whatever it takes to get him back. And even if you disapprove our relationship. I'm not going to give up in searching for him until he is safe. Misaki's safety is my top priority."

Akihiko's dedication touched Takahiro's heart. He was willing to search for his brother even if it would cost him his life. A sense of guilt swept through Takahiro and he felt bad for yelling at the man. The room feel into silence again.

All eyes were on Takahiro.

The man sighed heavily, his body language remained still for a moment, until he lifted his head up to Akihiko.

Slowly his anxious expression faded.

Tension was building up within Akihiko. What was Takahiro thinking?

Finally, a warm gentle smile appeared across his face.

"For anyone who is willing to risk their life to save my brother, I approve your relationship. You have my blessing."

Akihiko eyes widened in joyous content. He smiled gently. "Thank you Takahiro. I appreciate that you have accepted our relationship. I promise I'll find Misaki and bring him back home safely."

"Thank you Usagi. I'm grateful to have you as my friend and as Misaki's lover."

The two rose from their spot and gave each other a warm friendship hug. They patted each other on the back as they hugged. Manami sat in awe at the sight of brotherly approval, except for Haruhiko. He wanted to object to end this horrendous embracing and was about to fake cough to disrupt the two. But then Jiro's back leg suddenly accidentally kicked him like he knew what the man was thinking.

Jiro's body moved on it's own accord during his sleep. His leg lifted up as he curled up onto the couch. The silk robe slid down forward as his legs moved up, exposing his bare hairless soft thighs as his leg came in contact with Haruhiko. Few more inches of movement and his underwear would be revealed. Haruhiko eyes widened, his heart pounded. His innocent eyes! Luckily Manami was still concentrating on her husband and Akihiko that she didn't witness this. Haruhiko quickly tugged and adjusted the brunette's robe back to cover his thighs.

"Thank you," Akihiko said again before the two resumed back to sitting down. They smiled in content. Now it was time to return back to the main conversation.

"By the way Akihiko why is your nose bruised and the same with Jiro?"

"Fufufu," came a muffled laugh from Haruhiko which was rare for a character like him. The topic brought back the memories Haruhiko thought was pretty hilarious when he recalled his brother's idiotic mistaken identity. Sure it was hell during that time but overall it was still actually comical when he thought about it.

Akihiko's face flushed bright red upon the question. How was he going to explain this to Takahiro without making him sound stupid. The Takahashi's were confused at the moment with the reactions they were seeing.

"Ahem," Akihiko cleared his throat. "Well this may sound ridiculous but the first time we met Jiro, I thought he was Misaki. Apparently I was wrong and I provoked him when I hugged him. So the kid decided to bite me and hit me across the face."

The muffled laughter from Haruhiko grew louder as he explained. Akihiko gritted his teeth. "Shut up will you!" he barked to his brother.

"As you can see that moron over there and I don't get along quite well. We got into a argument, which I don't not feel like discussing in detail. Things got a little out of hand and the fight became physical. Meanwhile this kid decides to jump in the middle of the fight while my fist that was currently aiming for Haruhiko accidentally hits his face. Takahiro it was merely an accident. I hope this doesn't give the impression of me as an abusive man. It was simply an accident and a mistake."

"Well if the kid bit you and smacked you across the face then I'd say you two are even. Don't worry Usagi I trust you that you won't harm Misaki in anyway. Why did the argument between you two lead to a physical brawl?"

Akihiko saw this as a chance to shoot back at his brother. "Well Takahiro, we were arguing about something personal. Too bad he's the one getting it out of his system. Now he has to babysit Jiro,". Akihiko turned his head to face his brother. A cheeky smirk grew across his face. "Admit it," he grinned.

Haruhiko shot a icy cold glare at his brother. He knew what Akihiko meant. That sly bastard. Meanwhile Takahiro was left clueless on what Akihiko meant. But since it was for personal reasons he didn't want to question this matter further.

"Now aside from this. Let's get back to Misaki. Since Aku is our only lead that's our start. Also Jiro might recall the kidnapper's voice so that's something valuable. Haruhiko did you manage to question father about him?"

"No. The old man was too paranoid about his safety. He has Tadao setting up the parameters. I'll try asking him when I get back. Although our best shot would be to scout further down the underground city. But father is also barring us from returning back there. However that doesn't mean he has all the routes to the city covered. Give me time and I'll see what I can do. Leave father to me."

"But couldn't we just let the private detective investigate Aku and the cards?" Takahiro queried.

"Takahiro I wish we could leave this all to the police and the private detective but this is a crime that is deep. We're talking about criminals who can silence the police. There is corruption in this case. Bringing in a private detective would only result in a dead detective. In the world of wealth, there is hierarchy and lucky for the Usamis we're one of the top. There are criminals who dare not want to risk facing the wrath of our father. Although there are also some who aren't afraid of the hierarchy system. Consulting a private detective would be our last resort if we can't figure out anything."

"Haruhiko's right. This will take time. We mustn't let our emotions run us down. The private detective I hired has currently found nothing. We're never going to get anywhere waiting for clues to fall into our hands. Haruhiko I want to talk to father as well. Having us both there might convince him to talk."

Haruhiko rubbed the sides his temple and sighed. "I'll see. It might also depend on his mood. But lets give it a try. If he doesn't cooperate, we'll find other ways to gather intel."

"When is he available? Aren't you meant to be giving him a lift to his meeting?"

"I was but I was furious about how he refused to have Tadao investigate for Misaki. So I told him to get Tadao to give him a lift instead and stormed out with Jiro. But maybe we can confront him tonight, over dinner. He doesn't have anything scheduled for tonight."

"Doesn't sound too bad. Lets do it. Takahiro you can stay here if you feel unsafe. We still don't know who is behind this. Best to remain here until we know its safe and feel free to make yourself at home."

"Umm okay, thank you so much Usagi. Is it just going to be us staying here tonight?"

"Yes you can have the spare bedroom upstairs reserved for guests. Tonight me and Haruhiko are going to visit our father. I promise I'll find Misaki."

"Thank you so much Usagi! I don't know how to thank you."

"A blessing from you is all that I'll ever ask for Takahiro."

A warm smile appeared across Takahiro's face. He was glad to have such a good and caring friend.

Haruhiko brought out his cellphone. "I'm going to message Tanaka now. Are you sure you want to do this Akihiko?"

"I'm sure. Inform him now."

[~¥~]

Meanwhile back at the Usami Mansion.

Security cameras were wired and screwed onto the corners of each room. Motion sensors were placed in doorways and windows to detect unwanted trespassing. Not to mention the patrol guards that scurried through the dense forest with canine. With the presence of heavy security, the Usami mansion exhibited an army like encampment. Fuyuhiko even had the Usami guards to camp outside in the forest and the loyal guards were doubled inside the mansion.

A specialized forensic team was hired and spent the past several hours trying to find any evidence hidden on the card. They examined the paper quality, analyzed for fingerprints and even had a specialized analyst examining the photos. From what they gathered they found no trace of evidence or DNA left behind on the card besides Fuyuhiko and Haruhiko's fingerprints. The analyst zoomed in all the photos hoping to spot anything that may give them a clue. This may take a while but it was their job to investigate thoroughly.

Fuyuhiko and Tadao sauntered through the mansion halls together.

"There will sensors here at this window and I'll have my men plant hidden cameras in these ornaments," the guard explained as he pointed around the room.

"I see, I would also like some cameras…"

"Excuse me master sorry to disturb you. It's about your sons," Tanaka entered the room with a cell phone in his hand.

"Give us a moment will you please Tadao, thank you."

"Yes sir I understand."

"Go on Tanaka."

"Haruhiko texted me just now. Both of your sons would like to request to have dinner here tonight with you. He's awaiting your response."

Fuyuhiko moved towards the large glass window to gaze outside. "Hm. Little boys looking to cause trouble again. Tell them yes at 6 o'clock. This will finally be a good time to have a proper conversation as a family together."

* * *

A.N Wow that was a long conversation. I would add more but I didn't want to bore you guys.

 **Please review for motivation and ideas**. Don't forget to check my profile for live updates.

Love OWLSIES


	12. Chapter 12 Your Voice

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

A.N **Unbeta version**. For this chapter I've decided to squeeze the egoist into the plot. See chapter one for how they adopted the kitten. That's all that I'm changing to the plot. So you guys aren't missing out on anything after Chapter 1-5 rewrite.

Warning!: This chapter contains non-consensual scene. I'm so sorry Misaki but it had to be done.

I'm sorry I can't centralise the border boxes for some reason. My browser keeps crashing.

* * *

 **{~0~}**

 **Your Voice**

The three men were seated in the same spot. They continued to discuss what had occurred during their visit to the underground city in great detail to Takahiro, except for the argument part. Jiro's legs laid resting on Haruhiko's lap, preventing him from moving. The man felt uncomfortably embarrassed at first but later succumbed to the brunette's comfort.

Akihiko felt incredibly relieved and free. Two burdens had just been lifted off his back today. The first and foremost was Takahiro accepting his relationship with Misaki, even by going as far as granting them his blessing. This burden was one of the heaviest out of them all. This gave Akihiko the courage to reveal his true feelings to Misaki in front of Takahiro. Meaning that if Misaki were to be a found he would be allowed to intimately hold his lover in front of his brother. And the second was his brother's feelings deviating elsewhere. Although he hoped that this was true. It would take some time but he didn't care just as long as his brother lost interest in Misaki.

Despite the confronting mails sent to them today, their gathering and the presence of each other gave them warmth and the strength to carry on. Sure they still felt upset and distraught about the images of Misaki, but conversing with each helped them partially suppress those feelings. If Akihiko had received the mail by himself, who knows where his drunken ass would have taken him. Even a contribution from his worst brother helped him recover back onto his feet from grieving, and also helped them bridge the gap between the sibling rivalry. Akihiko had the support, the money and his family status. Now all he had to do was to find a way to use them to help him find his Misaki.

Manami opened the fridge hoping to find something edible for her son. Scanning through each level of the refrigerator, she could only find old rotting vegetables and half eaten canned food. Mahiro clutched onto her leg like usual. The poor little boy was hungry. He started to wail and whimper high pitch cries to his mother. She moved to the side of the fridge to grab hold of a milk bottle. To her dismay, the bottle was expired approximately two weeks ago. Sighing out loud she picked up her son and held him to her chest while rocking the boy up and down gently.

"Takahiro there's no milk or anything here for Mahiro to eat."

"I guess we have to go out and buy it then,". Takahiro turned to Akihiko. "Usagi since you offered your place for us to stay until things appear safe. I'll purchase all of the groceries and my wife can cook for all of us."

"I'll go with you. But first I'll need to get change into normal clothes."

"Thank you Usagi. Is Haruhiko and Jiro going to stay here while we're gone?". He was concerned for his family's safety and having the presence of the pair around provided a sense of security for Takahiro.

"Haruhiko are you going anywhere? Don't you have work today?" Akihiko asked.

"No. Chauffeuring father was my duty today but technically it's my day off. I won't be going anywhere just yet. Got to wait for this kid to get up. Takahiro can your kid eat pastry. I bought Jiro enough to feed him for two days."

"Hm. Thanks for the offer. I'll let my wife feed him the pastry. But I still need to get some items from the shop. And also some spare clothes back at home. Usagi how long do you think my family has to stay for? I have to get back to work."

"As long as you want. And with your safety and work. I can hire a personal bodyguard to look after you and your family."

"You preferably would want to hire a guard from Usami corporations. We'll discuss it with father tonight. He can assign you a trustworthy and well trained professional bodyguard. Maybe you don't even need to stay over at Akihiko's. But for precaution, its better if your family stayed here," Haruhiko suggested.

"You guys would really do that for me and my family? Thank you so much. I'm still shock your brothers though," Takahiro smiled deeply in appreciation.

"Don't worry, anything for my friend."

Mahiro threw a tantrum. He wanted his milk now and started to wail out loud.

"I think we should get going soon Usagi. I'll wait here until you go change and get ready to go out."

"Alright then. I won't take long."

Akihiko rose from his spot and headed off to get changed in his room. Takahiro went over to his wife to help her calm down their starving son. Even though he ate this morning, lunch was approaching and the toddler wanted milk. Meanwhile Haruhiko couldn't move, plus he didn't feel like disturbing Jiro from his sleep.

Akihiko later returned with a spare thin blue blanket and pillow.

"Here,". He handed the bedding materials to his brother. "He didn't look too comfortable sleeping like that."

Haruhiko accepted the offer. He carefully maneuvered his way out of the brunette's legs and then placed the pillow under the his head. With the thin blanket, he spread the corners of the blanket apart and with a flying landing motion he wrapped it around the boy. He then sat on the adjacent sofa and sighed in relief.

Akihiko and Takahiro left the apartment.

[~¥~]

(6:03AM Italy: 1:03PM Japan)

"Usagi," Misaki moaned in relaxed pleasure.

Akihiko charmingly smiled down onto his lover as he held him in warm embrace. One arm wrapped around the brunette to support him while his other hand caressed his soft cheeks. His violet eyes peering down into his emerald eyes, filled with the desire of lust and pleasure. The two laid cuddled together on Akihiko's large comfortable bed.

"Usagi I miss you," the brunette whispered.

"I miss you too Misaki. I'll never let you go. Stay strong. I love you."

Their eyes made unbreakable contact. Akihiko placed his spread palm on the side of the brunette's head and caressed his upper cheek with his thumb caringly. Each thumb movement was motioned gently and smoothly. The feeling of Akihiko caressing his face was relaxing and comforting. It warmed his heart, providing him a sense of security.

"I love you."

His seductive voice sent hot tingling sensations down Misaki's body.

That voice.

It was special.

Misaki wanted more. He wanted Akihiko. Never before he felt incredibly sexually aroused by the man.

"Usagi. I—I want you," he whispered in desiring plea.

Akihiko drew his face closer, their lips nearly touching each other.

"Anything for my Misaki," he whispered back erotically.

Moving closer, Akihiko gave Misaki a long passionate kiss. Their soft lips parted allowing each other to freely kiss their upper and lower lips. The sound of lips smacking and light moans. The touch of Akihiko's cold hands ruffling through his hair. Every contact sent him into serene bliss. Misaki wrapped his arms around Akihiko's head, forcing the connected lips into tighter adherence.

Misaki didn't want this moment to end. This felt real. His scent. His breath. His warmth.

Never let me go.

Akihiko's hand ran up Misaki's back.

"Argh!" the brunette shrieked.

A fiery like burning pain seared through his back as Akihiko touched it.

"ARGHH! USAGI PLEASE STOP YOUR HURTING ME!" he screamed in agony as the pain intensified.

He shut his eyes, hoping that the pain would subside but it didn't. It only got worse. He opened his eyes to plead once more again.

"You've been a naughty pet," came a familiar deep voice.

Akihiko was replaced all the suddenly by Armel. The raven evilly smirked as he gazed down onto the petrified and wounded boy.

"ARGHH!" Misaki screamed on the top of his lungs as he tried to push the raven off. "GET OFF! GET OFF!"

"Misaki! Misaki! Misaki its alright," came a familiar soft voice echoing into his ear.

"Misaki? Shh it's okay I'm here," Shinobu whispered softly to the brunette as he sat by Misaki's side.

Misaki awoke. He wailed and cried weakly as he felt the throbbing and stinging pain radiating throughout his unhealed back. He gasped frequently for air as he tried to recall what happened. Shinobu placed his hand on Misaki's head and smoothly stroked his hair, hoping that it will soothe him. The blonde was woken up by the squirms and wails of the brunette.

Misaki laid in sufferable pain. He curled forward, heaving his chest back and forth as he wept. His body temperature dropped to a concerning point due to his exposed bare chest. He was predisposed to developing a fever. Hopefully he wouldn't though otherwise it would have a detrimental effects on his health. Shinobu prayed for the wellbeing of his friend as he watched over him.

"Misaki, the pain will fade overtime. Hang on in there okay. We need to stay strong. We'll find a way out one day. I promise,". He gently held Misaki's fragile hands on the mattress. He waited patiently for his friend to regain his strength.

After approximately twenty minutes of grieving over his unbearable suffering Misaki managed to calm down. Though he still felt fatigue despite receiving proper rest. Malnourished and wounded, Misaki's healing process would take longer than usual. Lack of sufficient nutritional and iron intake lead to anemic conditions for Misaki and the boy would faint if he were inflicted by trauma due to blood loss.

"Usagi," the brunette whimpered under his breath. He had recalled the brutal tortures Armel committed against him for being involved with Akihiko. The haunting memories of physical trauma and psychological damage filled his mind.

"Misaki are you okay? What about your lover?"

"He found out. He found out about us. He investigated," Misaki cried. The brunette sobbed weakly due to fatigue.

Oh no, the blond thought. This was bad.

"Did he tell you why he was angry at you for dating Usagi?"

Misaki shifted his head left and right, indicating a no.

Shinobu placed his hands on Misaki's. "Misaki I'm sorry it's my fault for saying out my real lover's name which prompted you to do the same. I'm sorry. I'm sorry Misaki that this was brought against you," the blond sniffled lightly.

He felt responsible for Misaki's suffering. He blamed himself for putting someone's life into a world of torment. Now he felt the urge of responsibility to protect Misaki from Armel. Whether it'll be whoring himself to protect Misaki or not, he had no choice. He didn't want to lose his friend.

Misaki didn't say anything. It was easy to blame someone else for your mistakes but neither would that resolve anything. So he remained quiet.

[~¥~]

Takahiro removed the milk bottle from the refrigerator and checked the expiry date before placing it into the trolley. It had been a long time since the best friends had been shopping together. It brought back the old memories. Though it didn't feel like the old times since Misaki remained fresh in their minds.

Akihiko missed the times when he went shopping with Misaki. He missed watching his lover. His interaction as he observed the green peppers. His laughter. His berating. His smile. His everything.

(SFX Cell Phone ringing)

"Is that yours?" Akihiko asked Takahiro.

"Yes. I hope everything is alright."

Takahiro quickly shuffled through his trouser pocket to find his phone. He prayed to the heavens that nothing bad had happened to his family while they were gone.

He immediately answered the phone. His heart pounded at a faster rate than normal. Hopefully nothing was wrong.

"Hello?"

There was a moment of silence as Takahiro listened to the unknown caller. Akihiko stood behind the trolley with his arms crossed, resting on the trolley handle. Who was it? He wondered. Things became a concern when Takahiro's face shifted into a worried expression.

Takahiro nodded slightly as he pinched his nose. "Okay. I understand. I'll be there soon."

The call ended.

"Who was it?"

Takahiro placed both arms on his hips and sighed deeply. "That was the police. They called me in for a talk. Something about evidence of Misaki and something sent to his university this morning. They said they went to see my personally at home but I wasn't home."

"What! You think the same mail was also sent to his university?!"

"Could be. Lets go Usagi. We need to find out what happened. But first lets just get these groceries back Manami and Mahiro."

The two didn't have the time to cruise through the grocery store and hurriedly shoved what they saw in front of them into the trolley. Akihiko pushed the trolley at full throttle towards the checkout. Fellow shoppers would pause their activities to stare at the two men rushing through the store.

[~¥~]

Hiroki grumbled incoherently under his breath when he placed the animal carrier by his foot as he took a seat in the waiting area. Nowaki had booked an appointment for their or in other words "his" kitten to see the vet. The orange fuzz ball needed a vaccine shot but Nowaki was unable to make it due to an emergency with one of his patients. So Hiroki was forced to take time off his job to take Noro for a visit to the veterinarian. The brown haired was reluctant at first since it interfered with his research. But seeing this as a form of revenge for all the miserable things the kitten had brought, he had accepted.

He recalled the moments when his paper work was tarnished by clawing, urination and defecation. Angered by the demon kitten's behavior there were many times Hiroki had left the front door open for the animal to wander off. It did wander off but would always come crawling back, and this time with other cats as well. The two would often snarl at each other whenever Nowaki wasn't looking or around. The kitten was intelligent, it knew how to differentiate between a grumpy and a kind human. It sensed that Hiroki disliked it, therefore it did whatever it could to ward him off and only showing its affection to its favorite owner; Nowaki.

This morning had been hell for Hiroki as he tried to get the kitten into its cage. The brown haired had to wear mitten gloves, thick long sleeved jumpers, long thick pants, glasses and beanie to protect his skin from getting clawed. Before he would catch the animal, he made sure all the windows and doors were closed. He managed to follow the kitten into Nowaki's room and closed it behind him. And that moment was one of the worst cat and mouse game he had ever played.

As he moved towards the orange feline, it hissed at him, drawing out its fangs as it prepared itself for retaliation. Hiroki had hidden a clothes basket behind his back as he approached the animal.

"Come here Noro. Be a good boy. We're going to see the vet. Your going to get a big fat needle injected in you," he smirked.

The kitten hissed and snarled. Hiroki went in for the grab and motioned the basket on top of the animal but missed. The kitten dodged swiftly and ran under the bed.

"Damn! Come here you!"

He flicked over the draping blanket sides and peered under the bed. The kitten hid underneath hissing relentlessly. The brown haired groaned in frustration. With his arms he reached under the bed to grab hold of the animal but it retreated out to the other side of the bed. Hiroki gritted his teeth and paced around the bed. The kitten retreated underneath the bed again and cycle repeated. The chasing lasted for at least ten minutes leaving the browned haired exhausted and panting for air. He couldn't take it anymore and threw his whole body towards the floor and tackled the kitten.

He had finally caught the kitten with both his hands. The orange animal hissed, wailed and screeched fiercely as it clawed and bite into the mittens. If Hiroki didn't wear these protective clothing then his skin would have been scraped off. The brown haired man kept the ferocious animal distant away from scratching his face and quickly scrambled to shove it into the pet carrier.

And that was the start to Hiroki's morning.

"Mr. Kamijou. The Doctor will see you and your kitten now," came the sweet feminine voice of the veterinarian nurse.

'About time' he thought.

He closed the literature novel he was reading and shoved it into his work bag. After this visit he would return back to work as usual. He had a lot of assignments to mark lately. His marking had been delayed and interrupted by the kitten's persistency to jeopardize his work. For some reason the animal had a thing for his study room at home. If he forgot to close the door then all hell would break lose. For such a small creature, the kitten could generate so much damage. There were many times when the man felt like threatening Nowaki on whether he would chose over the animal or him. But he held it in.

[~¥~]

"Hehehe Misagi!" Mahiro laughed and cooed as he prodded Jiro's face.

Manami had temporarily feed her son some of the pastry. Now satisfied with his appetite Mahiro wanted to play.

The little boy had woken up the brunette when Manami went over to the toilet to relieve her bladder. Jiro slowly opened one of his droopy eyes. Haruhiko didn't bother to intercept the toddler from interrupting Jiro's rest. The older man was busy on his phone surfing through the internet.

"Misagi" the toddler grinned.

Jiro rubbed his eye and smiled at the sight of innocence. He thought he would never be greeted with this sort emotion when he was kidnapped and sold. He groggily sat up from his resting spot with the blanket still warmly tugged around his lower body. His eyes lit up slightly as he realized the bedding comfort that was given to him. Such kind warmness filled his heart.

"Misagi!" the toddler shrieked excitedly.

Jiro warmly smiled and gently ruffled the toddler's hair.

"Mahiro!" his mother shouted.

The toddler jumped from his mother's outburst and pouted.

"Don't disturb Jiro. He's resting."

Everybody turned to glance at Manami including Haruhiko who turned to glance for a second but resumed back to his phone.

"Its okay. I'm not angry. Besides I think its rather cute," Jiro replied as he waved both his hands in reassurance.

Manami crouched down by her son's side.

"Mahiro next time let him rest,". She turned to face Jiro. "Sweety but you look so tired," she spoke warmly with a concerned look.

"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm sure I will get proper rest tonight. Where did the others go? How long was I asleep for?"

"They went out to buy a few groceries from a nearby store. You've only been asleep for a couple of hours now."

She smiled warmly at the brunette. Her smile was indeed soothing and reminded Jiro off something. His family. His sisters. The vivid memories of their laughter and presence.

The brunette placed his left palm on his face and sniffled lightly before breaking down into incoherent sobs and gasps. He wrapped his abdomen with his right arm as he curled forward.

Everybody turned their attention to the sobbing brunette, including Haruhiko. Why was he breaking down all the sudden?

Manami squeezed onto the couch beside Jiro. She placed one of her arms behind his left shoulder to comfort him.

"Hey its okay. Are you alright? If you want someone to talk to I'm here for you. You can tell me everything."

Jiro swiftly rubbed away his tears and sniffled. "I'm okay. Its just that you reminded me of my sisters. I miss them."

The woman gave the brunette a quick hug before rubbing his back in circles. "I'm sure you'll get to see them one day. Since your are free now from that horrible city. I'm sure that time will come."

"You really think? I mean I know its not possible—."

The front door swung open and in came Takahiro and Akihiko carrying the grocery bags.

"Manami I've got the milk."

Takahiro slumped the bags onto the kitchen bench.

"Took your time," Haruhiko complained as he placed his phone back into his pocket.

"What's the hurry?" Manami asked curiously.

Akihiko quickly paced to Haruhiko. "Did anyone see you and Jiro enter the building?"

"No. I made sure the coast was clear before I entered. Why?"

"The police called Takahiro about Misaki. It appears something was sent to the university this morning. A mail similar to ours could be sent to his university as well. And the reason I asked you if anyone has seen you because they knocked on Takahiro's door to personally inform him. I'm worried that this may become publicized. And I'm also worried they will come knocking on my door anytime since I'm Misaki's landlord and I've worked closely with the police on his disappearance."

"Oh my," Manami gasped. "If the police are coming, you can't walk out like this Jiro. They may mistaken you for Misaki."

"And ask questions about his identity! This is risky. We have to leave now Jiro! Use that blanket to cover yourself!" Haruhiko ordered as he immediately rose from his spot.

"That's a good idea," Takahiro agreed.

Akihiko face palmed his face at the thick headed man's remarks. How naïve can he be?

"Umm I think that will attract more attention. People will be staring at me in curiosity at why I'm surrounded by a blanket," Jiro stated.

Finally some common sense Akihiko thought. "A blanket will not blend. Jiro you can borrow Misaki's clothes for now. Haruhiko, you and Jiro can go back home, I'll meet you there tonight. And Takahiro we can bring your family along therefore you don't have to worry about them being left behind," Akihiko ordered as he pointed to each individual.

"Thank you Usagi."

"About time the author has taken up some responsibilities into his own hands."

Akihiko ignored his brother's comment. That bastard hadn't changed one bit despite the situation they were in. He was probably annoyed that he had to babysit those three while they were gone.

"Jiro, follow me quickly."

"Okay," he replied. The brunette shuffled off from the couch. As he left he smiled to Manami. "Thank you," he whispered quietly to her.

"It's okay Jiro. Now go get dressed."

"Wait Akihiko," Haruhiko called out. The silver haired stopped to face his brother. "I wouldn't recommending notifying the police about us receiving the letters. They'll question us further. We don't want that to happen. Just keep it a secret."

"Understood. Come Jiro."

Akihiko knew revealing the letters would be pointless. Especially their father wouldn't be pleased if he found out that a third party was investigating something that could even be held against their family with association to the underbelly empire.

Jiro quickly followed behind the silver haired man who led him to Misaki's room. Akihiko opened the drawers to find suitable clothes for Jiro to wear. What the brunette needed was a hooded jacket, long pants, sneakers, beanie and black sunglasses. The older man shuffled and scurried through the neatly piled clothes. He felt bad messing up his lover's property but they didn't have time. The detectives could be knocking on this front door any minute. And if that were to happen. There would be no doubt they would enter his apartment to inform him about the mail. Meaning that if that did happen, Jiro would need to hide somewhere out of sight.

Akihiko found the appropriate clothing to cover the brunette. "Here". He handed the clothes to Jiro.

"Thank you. I promise to return them back to you," the brunette formally bowed to thank the older man.

"Don't need to thank me. Just put them on as fast as you can. Tell me when your finished."

"Yes sir."

Akihiko left the room, closing the door on his way out. He stood outside the door, leaning against it with his back as he crossed his arms.

Jiro quickly disrobed and put on his clothes one by one. Haruhiko had decided to follow the pair. He leaned his back against the wall beside his brother with his crossed arms against his chest as well.

The two lightly conversed.

"Afraid that I may peek at your bride huh?" Akihiko scoffed sarcastically.

"More like I'm worried about your choice of selection."

"What do you prefer me to offer him a wedding dress?"

The atmosphere became tense between the brothers again.

"I'm done!" the brunette called out.

The tension between the two instantly dissipated when they heard Jiro's voice.

"Okay I'm coming in now!" Akihiko responded.

The silver haired opened to door and entered. His eyes widened as he saw Jiro in Misaki's clothing.

"Is this alright? It fits me quite nicely."

It was as if he was staring at a mirrored version of Misaki. In this world, everyone was bound to have at least one look-alike despite genetic variation, and Jiro was one of them. Lost in his emotions and the long lusting for his lover, Akihiko immediately extended out his arms to hug the brunette.

"Hey!" Jiro gasped in surprise. He tried to push the older man off with both of his arms and opened his mouth.

"Please don't. I just need this. I miss him so much. Please don't bite me," he whispered softly into Jiro's ear as his chin rested sideways on the brunette's shoulders.

Jiro could hear the sorrow and sadness in his voice. Feeling sorry for the older man, he relaxed his arms down and closed his mouth to let the man relieve his feelings. Well this is awkward.

Akihiko tightened his embrace, squeezing the brunette closer to his warm chest as he deeply inhaled in Jiro's scent. Akihiko was surprised in how feminine the boy smelled. It was different from Misaki's. His body scent was almost similar to the smell of sweet baby vanilla talc powder and it got Akihiko drawn.

"Hey, Akihiko! We have to go now. Stop frightening him!" Haruhiko grouched unhappily at his brother. He had been watching the two the whole time.

Akihiko released the brunette. "I'm sorry Jiro," he apologized in a low tone. This had tortured him more than it had relieved him.

"Its okay. I understand," Jiro replied as he smiled reassuringly to the silver haired.

"Nothing's okay with that man!"

Haruhiko snatched Jiro's wrist and pulled him away from Akihiko, prompting the boy to exit the room with him.

"Wait the beanie and glasses!"

Haruhiko released his wrist, allowing the brunette to retrieve the items from the table before exiting.

"Don't be late Akihiko!"

The two left the room, leaving Akihiko behind in Misaki's room. The silver haired sighed heavily as he glanced around his lover's room. A ghostly imagination of Misaki reading his favorite manga on his bed appeared. So much memories in this very room and Akihiko couldn't take it anymore. He sauntered out of the room and leaned forward with his arms crossed on the rails. He silently watched the interaction of the people below him.

Akihiko smiled lightly at the interaction between Takahiro and his family and also with Haruhiko and Jiro. What would he do without them?

Haruhiko and Jiro stood by the front door. The older man helped assist Jiro tuck his brown hair under the black beanie. After each brown lock was hidden underneath the beanie, Jiro pulled the hoodie over his head before placing on the black shades.

"Looks all good. Lets go."

"Bye everyone! Thank you for being so kind to me," the brunette smiled as he waved goodbye.

"Bye Jiro!" everyone waved back.

The older man opened the door and peeked his head out to check the premises. All was clear and they headed back to the car. As they exited the main entrance of the apartment building, at least four policemen including detectives sauntered past them. Haruhiko's heart paced nervously as the police quickly glanced at the pair when they passed each other. Jiro had kept his head down the whole time with his hands in his pockets.

When they reached the car and entered, Haruhiko sighed out loudly in relief. That was close. They had left just in time. Now it was time to head back home to the Usami Mansion.

[~¥~]

"You've got to be kidding me," Hiroki disgruntled.

"I'm sorry Mister Kamijou but I'm sure Noro will recover. If you need to go somewhere else, you can leave him here with us until we give you a call that your pet is ready to go home," the old male Veterinarian replied.

"How long do you think it will take him to recover?"

"Hours maybe, it depends. But since its still a kitten, I'll monitor his condition and you can pick him up till the latest before 8pm. One of my nurses will stay behind that time when you come to pick up your kitten."

"I got until then to pick him up?"

"Yes."

'Woohoo' the brown haired man cheered internally. The kitten had received a bad reaction from the vaccine. This gave him time to work on marking his students including Miyagi's students assignments. He felt relieved that he didn't have to worry about the orange fuzz ball.

"Well then. I'll be off to work."

Hiroki grinned in satisfaction before scurrying off to work, leaving behind the lethargic ill kitten on the animal operating counter. He sauntered back to the university which was only ten minutes away from the veterinary clinic.

As he arrived to the front of the university, he noticed the presence of policemen. People were seen frightened and students clamored around one another, gasping as they gossiped about something relating to pictures. Reporters were also seen with their cameras all setup along the footpaths.

'What on Earth is happening?' he thought as he squeezed his way through the crowd. He tried to pass through the police officers but was stopped by an uniformed policemen.

"Sorry sir we can't let you through. We're closing the university for now."

"What's going on? I'm a staff here. I need to get my stuff from my office."

"Sorry sir. All premises are to be closed. We're evacuating staff for investigation purposes."

A terrifying diabolically aura appeared around the associate professor. The man gritted his teeth, his eyes narrow into slits, his face went red as he pointed. He huffed in a deep breath.

"Look here! I have a months work piled up on that table due to a relentlessly demon possessed kitten! Now if you don't let me through to collect my paper work. I'll dump that animal for you to keep!" he roared.

The officer gulped while the students in his class recognized their teacher's voice and clamored away from the man.

"Okay sir. But when you get your paperwork. You have to leave as soon as possible. But first I must see your ID and proof of your employment here."

"Fine."

Hiroki removed his university staff ID from his wallet and showed it to the officer.

"Okay. You can enter," the officer nodded and allowed Hiroki to enter the university grounds.

As he sauntered through the halls, he noticed the heavy presence of police patrols, security officers and even canine.

Hiroki entered the literature office. Miyagi was seen smoking by the window, gazing out to who knows what.

"Hey what's with the heavy police presence out there?!"

Miyagi sighed heavily. He moved over to his desk and held a paper copy of Misaki's beaten body to him.

"Ahhh! What the hell is this?!"

"This paper was scattered throughout the entire university. Including to all the staff rooms and lecture halls. The security guards last night had been knocked out. Read the bottom."

Hiroki's eyes lit up, his hands trembled as he read the bottom writing.

'Hello fellow Mitsuhashi students. You will suffer the same fate one day as your fellow student Misaki Takahashi if you wander off by yourself.'

"I'm speechless. That kid was one of my students that went missing! What the hell?! Who would do such a thing to an innocent kid?!"

"I don't know but every student is frightened by this paper. No one knows who sent it. But don't worry too much about it. We have to leave the campus now, they're kicking us out."

"Damn. Poor Misaki," Hiroki mumbled sympathetically under his breath.

[~¥~]

Upon their arrival back to the Usami Mansion. Their car was stopped at the main gate by guards dressed in black military like uniforms. They weren't here before. Must have been recently set up while they were gone. Haruhiko wind down the window to confirm his identity to the guards. They immediately gave him the clearance signal and the older man proceeded into the property.

"How paranoid can my father get over a card," he muttered.

Meanwhile Jiro stared in shock when he saw the presence of heavy security. Imagine escaping. Now that would be difficult. Not to mention the dogs that could cut him down anytime if he were to flee into the forest. The brunette gulped as they drove pass the guards and into the garage.

Once parked the two headed inside only to be greeted by Tanaka.

"Has father returned back from his meeting yet?"

"No Haruhiko sir. Your father told me to run through the new security protocols with you."

"We'll do that soon but first I must show Jiro to his room."

"Ah yes. Nice to meet you Jiro. We've briefly met this morning. But allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Tanaka and I am the butler of this family. I'll be taking care of you within this home. As the matter in fact Fuyuhiko informed me about your permanent stay here. If you need anything don't be afraid to request," he smiled and bowed formally to greet the young man.

Jiro smiled back nervously. "Umm thank you. I never knew I would have a butler taking care of me."

"That's enough greeting for today. Lets go Jiro."

Haruhiko lightly pulled Jiro's wrist along and headed up the stairs before Tanaka called out to him.

"Haruhiko sorry to stop you sir but your father has instructed me that Jiro were to stay in the room in the lower quarters next to the kitchen."

"What does he think Jiro is an animal?! Locking him down in a bloody cellar like that! Forget it he stays in the quarters next to mine!"

This time he tugged the brunette. "Lets go Jiro this is pathetic!"

He led the boy away to the room he once offered Misaki to stay in. He gritted his teeth over his father's treatment with Jiro. Controlling someone whose life was already taken away by force and then locking them down in a small cold room was incredibly cruel and selfish.

"This is your room from now on. Make yourself at home. I need to speak to Tanaka personally. I'll be back soon."

"Thank you so much Haru-san. Am I allowed to call you that?"

With his puppy green eyes peering back at him, of course he couldn't say no.

"Fine. Call me whatever you want. Do what you want, just stay in your room."

"Thank you so much Haru-san!" the brunette shouted out in joy. He hugged Haruhiko excitedly which shocked the older man a little. But later a warm feeling filled his heart and he smiled slightly.

"Thank you so much! Your so kind Haru-san, I like you."

Haruhiko eyes widened at the confession while Jiro still had his arms wrapped around his chest. He knew the boy only said it innocently. But how he perceived it left him perplexed on the true meaning behind it.

"It's okay," he patted the brunette's back softly.

The two separated. "Well I want to take a nice hot warm bath. I missed those. Am I allowed?"

"Don't be silly. Of course your allowed. I'll be back. I need to see Tanaka and after that I'll send him upstairs to take your measurements for tailored clothes."

"Clothes. I don't think you have to go that far for me."

Haruhiko ruffled Jiro's hair. "I'm your caretaker after all. Don't worry about it,".He then left the room leaving behind the gentle smiling brunette.

Jiro removed Misaki's clothes and folded them neatly as the bath was filled with hot warm water. While he waited patiently for the bath to fill, he stared at his reflection on the bathroom mirror. He sighed as he saw all the purple bruises that his owner had given him for disobedience.

During those three weeks in the brothel, he failed to service any of his customers. Mostly due to biting their limbs off. Yasei-ji was an entertainment brothel, meaning their fame was earnt by obedient and well performing entertainers. Not all brothels were the same and therefore Jiro was in the process of etiquette training. It was as if fate was on his side to protect his virtue. And things became more lucky for him when he came across the Usami brothers. He thanked the gods for looking after him. And for protecting him from all the bad things.

The bath was now filled up to at least three quarters of the bath. Jiro climbed into the long white porcelain tub. 'Ah so warm' he thought. The brunette laid calmly down in the water that was submerged up to his chin. His muscles relaxed to a point where his soul felt like it was disconnected from his body. The bathroom was covered in mist that were emitted from the steamy hot warm water. Slowly due to lack of sleep, he closed his eyes. Dreaming. So warm. The brunette could start to see a light in a distant despite having his eyes closed.

Haruhiko returned from his briefing and found Tanaka knocking outside Jiro's bathroom door.

"Master Jiro. Is everything alright in there? You've been in there for quite some time."

"What's wrong Tanaka?"

"Young master Haruhiko. Jiro has been in there for a while. I'm worried about him. The boy hasn't responded back at all yet."

"Shit! That kid better not have fallen asleep! Jiro open up!" the older man shouted as he banged his fists on the door.

No reply.

Haruhiko quickly patted his pockets for the bathroom keys but realized the keys were in his room. He sprinted as fast as he could out of room, startling the guards, and into his room to grab hold of the spare bathroom keys on his table. Once the keys were obtained he sprinted back to the bathroom door while Tanaka stood aside to let the man do his job.

The door was now unlocked and Haruhiko rushed into the room to find Jiro immersed under the water.

"Fuck!" he panicked.

Haruhiko immediately extended his arms into the water and pulled Jiro out bridal style. He laid the unconscious naked brunette on the cold white tile floor and used two fingers to find his pulse. Luckily he felt a faint pulse. Jiro was still alive but he wasn't breathing. Haruhiko had to resuscitate him to get him back to breathing again.

Surrounded by a tunnel of darkness Jiro felt frightened and moved towards the light. But as he moved closer, his movement became slower. Suddenly an unknown force was pulling him back.

"Arghh," he screamed as he was pulled away from the light.

"Pleghh! Arh arh arh," the brunette coughed up water violently.

Haruhiko stopped his chest compressions when the brunette awoke and coughed up the water the was inhaled into his lungs. The older man wrapped his left arm around the brunette's neck to support him up. Jiro coughed and gasped for air as he regained conscious.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

"Huh? I think I fell asleep," Jiro rasped out weakly.

"Well don't do it again!"

"I'm sorry," he croaked before closing his eyes in exhaustion. His breathing was shallow.

Haruhiko sighed in relief. Jiro was saved just in time.

"Young Master," came the concerned voice of Tanaka. He lent out the towel for Haruhiko to grab. "Do you want me to call the doctor?"

The older man grabbed the towel off from the family butler and snuggled it around Jiro's delicate body. "Call the family doctor. Have him come over and check up on Jiro immediately."

"Yes sir. I'll contact the doctor right away."

Tanaka left the room to contact the doctor to assess Jiro's condition.

Jiro laid limp, with his head elevated on Haruhiko's arm. The older man lightly caressed Jiro's soft cheek. He noticed the brunette had purple bruises all over his abdomen and chest when he wrapped the white towel around his body. For some reason he felt angry when he saw those bruises on Jiro. He wanted to protect the boy.

The bathroom was chilly and Haruhiko needed to keep him warm. He lifted up the brunette bridal style and out of the room. He then carried Jiro over to the bed and laid him down comfortably on the mattress. He dried his body and hair with the towel before placing the cozy blanket over him. Haruhiko removed his wet office jacket and sat on the edge by Jiro to monitor his condition.

[~¥~]

Akihiko drove to the Usami Mansion. It was time to face his father properly this time. Takahiro and his wife were safely locked in his apartment.

The three were shocked when the police arrived outside the apartment after the pair left. The three sighed in relieve after the observing the oblivious behavior of the policemen. The detective had just came in personally to inform them of the pictures that were deliberately sent to the university. And that the only evidence was the footage of the unknown underlings dressed in black clothes. The incident was also being publicized on the news. After that, there was nothing else to talk about and they left.

As he drove to the front gate he was stopped like Haruhiko. After confirmation of identification he entered the property. Parked at the front entrance, he was surprised to see how many guards were present at the once quiet empty mansion. The silver haired exited his car and entered the mansion. Even the guards were stationed inside their family home.

He headed off to the main dining room but stopped when he met his brother along the way. His brother didn't look fairly pleased and his body language was tense.

"What's the matter?"

"Sometimes I want to punch that old man in the face," Haruhiko grumbled.

"Why? What did he say?"

Haruhiko inhaled through his nose deeply. "He treats Jiro like garbage. Even Alexander gets treated better than him. Its pathetic. He offered Jiro permanent refuge here but guess where father offered him to stay."

"Where?"

"The basement room where I used to hide all your toys when we were little."

Akihiko's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why the hell would he do such a thing! That room is like prison. Where is Jiro now?"

"Sleeping in the spare room next to mine. He's picked up a fever after he had almost drowned to death for falling asleep in the bath."

"Drown?! Is he getting medical assistance? Where's Tanaka?"

"The family doctor already came to see him. Everything should be fine. Tanaka is preparing dinner. We should get going now. Father is waiting."

The two entered the dinning hall.

"Welcome home Akihiko. It has been a while since the three of us sat together in this hall. Please take a seat," their father smiled.

Three sets of expensive silverware was set out on the table. One set on the end and two sets opposite the other. Guess they knew where their assigned seats were. And of course their father was seated at the end where he could view all the diners. Tadao bowed formally to greet the Usami brothers and moved away to the door to guard.

The brothers took a seat opposite each other. Tanaka and a couple of maids entered the room carrying dishes or hot delicious steak topped with gravy and garden vegetables. The food was settled in front of them.

"Well do dig in."

Akihiko was starving. He didn't eat at all since yesterday night. In fact he lost a bit of weight ever since Misaki disappeared. The three ate in silence for a moment since they were all hungry. Fuyuhiko would often glance at his sons while they consumed their steak. So after all these years, one brunette had been able to influence the two to have dinner with their father once again. It lightened the old man's heart even though he knew the whole purpose of this dinner was to bring up the discussion about Misaki.

"Have you been eating well Akihiko? I've been worried."

"I've been fine."

"I hope so."

Awkward silence.

"I saw the news about Misaki's university. It seems we were not the only ones who received it," Haruhiko brought up.

"Haruhiko. Do you think that's an inappropriate subject to bring up during dinner?"

"What's so inappropriate about Misaki?" Akihiko questioned.

"Don't you two get started—."

(SFX Phone ringing)

"Akihiko, your phone is ringing," Haruhiko indicated.

"I'm aware of that."

Akihiko's phone rung, interrupting their conversation. Was it Takahiro?

The silver haired removed his phone to view the caller. The number was private. Curious by who was the caller, he answered.

"Hello who is this?"

The was a pause as Akihiko listened to the unknown caller.

"MISAKI?!"

Everyone dropped their silver utensils.

[~¥~]

Beforehand.

"Ha! You really did your research about my pet within that limited time span. I'm so proud of you! Interesting. Message me his number. Before you go Yukiko I have a few more requests. First I want you to find the details about my blond pet. I'll message you his full name to you soon. The second, I want you to tell your boys to vandalize their property when they're not home. Probably only once for now if you can. But don't get caught. And one last one, keep an eye on them after tomorrow. You just gave me an idea. Thanks for the number. Goodbye little sister. Talk to you soon."

Armel ended his call.

(SFX Gling-Smartphone Notification)

The raven smiled at the message he had received from his loyal followers in Japan. His eyes gleaming with the desire to commit another sinful act on his brunette pet. Sitting in his usual red armchair leather couch in his room, he texted a reply back to his contact. He stood up after he had finished and headed off to the secured computer room.

He slammed open the door. "Dulio! We've got work to do!"

No one was present in the room.

"Damn," he gritted.

"Boss?" Don's voice came from behind the raven.

The raven turned to his loyal guard. "Don where the hell is Dulio?"

"He went to grab something to eat in the kitchen not long ago. He should be here in a sec."

Dulio sauntered into the room with a tray of warm morning tea.

"Oh just in the nick of time Dulio. Boss was just looking—."

"Dulio!" the raven interrupted. "I need you to cover my call signal. I'm going to make a call to someone. I need to take precautions. I need to make sure that our call is one hundred percent untraceable. Where's the modified cell phone?"

"Oh yes sir boss. I'll get the super computer started. The phone is in the lower drawer over there. The usual place where you always put it."

Armel retrieved the modified black flip up phone from the drawers by the computer.

"Oh by the way Dulio. If for some reason our call is being traced. Upload that virus we created two years ago. It always gets them."

The raven laughed hysterically before heading to the door.

"Don come, I may need your assistance."

"What about your meeting boss?"

"Trust me Don. This won't take long. It's just a simple call."

Shinobu removed the white shirts from the shower head. To his disappointment they were still cold and damp. He groaned and tried shaking it in the air to assist the drying process. Misaki needed something to at least cover his chest. He needed it more than Shinobu.

Footsteps were heard coming from the hallway. Shinobu quickly hung the shirts over the shower head and paced outside to Misaki. The brunette was seen retreated into the corner of the room on the mattress. His body curled forward, his head bent down with his back facing the door. The poor brunette was shaking and whimpering in immense fear. Fear of Armel and the fear of being tortured again.

The blond scurried to Misaki's side. Keys were heard jingling outside their cell.

"Fuck," the blond cursed. Someone was coming in but who and what do they want?

Whistling was heard after several jingling noises. "Shit its Armel," Shinobu whispered.

Misaki broke into tears after he heard the name Armel. His heart pounded intensively. The blood pressure rising within him caused the brunette to hyperventilate. The door opened and in came Armel widely grinning. He approached them and sat down on the edge of the mattress next to his pets. Shinobu glared at him while sitting in front of Misaki, creating a protective like barrier around his friend. Misaki curled himself even more and tried to retreat further away despite the wall preventing him from doing so.

"How are my lovely pets doing?"

"You're a cruel man. What has Misaki ever done to you?! You sadistic bastard!"

Armel cupped his hand under Shinobu's chin to silence him.

"Don't you remember our little disciplining session yesterday?"

Shinobu swayed his head away, breaking eye contact with the raven. I hope that man rots in hell for what he has done, he cursed inside his head.

"We're going to need to work on our relationship my pet. But right now I need to borrow Misaki."

Misaki sobbed uncontrollably while Shinobu spread his arms out to prevent Armel from laying his hands on his friend.

"Don't hurt him! Sleep with me, do whatever you want, just leave Misaki alone!"

Armel raised his right hand to scrunch onto a patch of blond hair on Shinobu's head. The blond cringed in discomfort as his head was tilted slightly from the hair grab. The raven leaned forward, his mouth next to the blond's ear.

"I'll do whatever I want with you and Misaki. I have a meeting in four hours. I will not waste my time pointlessly arguing with my pet. Now move!". He pushed and shoved the blond aside and snatched Misaki's arm.

"NO! PLEASE NOO!" he cried as the raven dragged him from his spot.

Shinobu jumped towards the pair to break the grasp. He held onto Misaki's arm that the raven pulled and tugged in defying resistance.

"Shinobu let him go!"

"No you let him go!"

"Very well."

The raven released Misaki momentarily before he forward kicked Shinobu to the chest. The blond grunted and was knocked backwards onto the cold hard floor. He held his chest after the impact. He could of broken a rib from such forceful kick.

"Please I'm sorry master!" Misaki begged.

Armel ignored his desperate pleas. The raven was infuriated by their behavior. Such disobedience caused him to seek such cruel methods to handle the boys. The raven threw Misaki aside to the wall. Misaki shrieked in pain as his back came in contact with the concrete walls.

The raven stomped towards the injured blond on the floor. Shinobu gazed up to the tall raven. His blue eyes filled with dark sadistic aura. He raised his hand and slapped Shinobu across the face with extreme force.

"Nghahh!"

After the first slap, another hard slap came and another until blood stained the side of the blond's lips. Armel turned away from the blond and faced Misaki. This time without hesitation he snatched the brunette and hoisted him out of the cell.

"Nooooooo! Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry!" he sobbed as he struggled to free himself from the evil grasps of the raven.

Misaki could be heard screaming for help as he was dragged away for who knows what. Don smirked at the blond before he closed the cell door and locking it.

"MISAKI!" Shinobu shouted after his friend. The blond rose from his spot and ran towards the metal door. He banged on the door with the sides of his fist repeatedly.

"Misaki! Misaki! Misaki! Don't hurt him!"

Shinobu slumped down along the door as he failed to save Misaki. He felt completely useless. An utter failure. He broke into tears as he leaned against the metal door.

Armel threw the sobbing brunette on his bed. Misaki's wrists were clasped apart tightly by iron restraints that were connected to the bedside. He screamed when pressure was applied on his wound as Armel laid him onto his back. The raven hopped onto the bed and above the restrained brunette. He then brought out the modified cell phone and shook it lightly in front of Misaki.

"We're going to give your special someone a call. We can't do it later since I have a meeting and plus we don't want to give Akihiko a call when he's in bed. Its been a while since you're here with me. So let's give him a call to let him know how your doing. I feel like tormenting someone you love."

The raven lightly caressed Misaki's tear stained cheek. The boy flinched and whimpered upon the cold bitter touch.

"Shh be a good boy. Say hello to him. This is your final chance,". He leaned closer to Misaki's face. "Now if you so dare to mention my name, I'll have your lover killed and you tortured till the day you die. I have a subordinates and contacts in Japan. One call and I can have him slaughtered like that,". The raven clicked his fingers as he said that line. "And that goes for the same as your family, understood?"

No response from Misaki.

"UNDERSTOOD?!" Armel roared.

"Ye—Yes," he stuttered. Misaki gulped as he sniffled. He feared harm being brought against his family and lover.

The brunette was finally going to hear Usagi's voice, but what was the catch? This was what Misaki feared. The unexpected. What was Armel hiding from him?

Armel begun to dial Akihiko's cell phone number and set the call to loudspeaker. They waited for Akihiko to answer. Misaki whimpered and twitched in discomfort.

Finally the receiver answered.

["Hello who is this?"]

"Hello Akihiko, I thought you might like to hear this."

He held the phone next to Misaki face.

"Usa—sagi?" came the trembling weak voice of Misaki.

["Misaki?! Is that you?! Misaki where are you? Who is there with you?"]

"Usagi, y—yes it's me. Usagi…I miss you," Misaki whimpered. His voice was coarse from the sobs. He could finally hear his lover's voice in his ear. The voice he missed the most since the day he had been taken. Emotions of love and desire for security ran through him. He needed his older lover. Let his voice be the strength and the will to carry on.

On the other side Akihiko and everybody was shock at the unexpected call. The silver haired hand trembled as he held the phone by his ear. It was Misaki! His one and only Misaki! He's alive for real! But who the hell was with him?

Tadao waved his arms to Akihiko, signaling the man to follow his lead into a room nearby. Haruhiko and his father were confused at what do at this point but Tadao seemed to know what he was doing. Everybody including his father panicked upon hearing Misaki's name. This meant that the owner of Misaki was on the line, the one who threatened the Usami corporations and the one who abused Misaki. Who was this person and what did he or she want from Akihiko?

Everybody shuffled from the dinning hall and quickly into the computer like room, which had a large wooden table in the middle. This room was setup in case a threat was made through phone calls and they needed to track the caller's ID and location.

Following normal investigative standard procedures the guard pulled out a sophisticated voice recorder that was connected to a laptop. He untangled the cord and held it towards Akihiko who was still questioning Misaki on his whereabouts. The silver haired allowed Tadao to immediately connect the cable into his phone.

"Keep him on the line as long as possible. I need time to track the source and location."

The phone was now connected to the laptop where a program recorded the conversation. This was important for later playback and for the investigation of micro noises which can even detect whispers in the background. All four sat around the table with the phone in front of Akihiko. The phone was then set on loudspeaker. Tadao tried his hardest to locate a signal that will direct them to Misaki's location.

Back in Armel's bedroom.

"Usagi please get me out of this place…please."

["Misaki I promise I will find you. Tell me where are you now. Are you hurt?"]

"Usag—."

The phone was removed from Misaki's side. The raven silenced the brunette from speaking further by placing his other free hand over his mouth.

"Hello Akihiko this is Misaki's owner. You can record my voice all you want but you won't figure out my real identity nor could you track me. I'm not stupid. This call is untraceable. So good luck and do enjoy what I'm going to do next with your lover's delicate body."

["Look here! I don't know who you are and how you got my number. But if you touch Misaki I'll fucking find you and make sure you wished you never touched him in the first place."]

"Oh so frightening. I'm so scared," the raven mocked Akihiko.

Misaki squirmed. The raven pressed down further on his mouth to quieten him.

"By the way Akihiko I own Misaki. He was worth quite a lot in the auction. He's officially mine to keep. I own his body. So I'm going touch him the way you do but worse. And when I'm done, I'll make sure he will be unable to walk properly for the rest of his life."

The brunette panicked after what he just heard. He screamed but his cries were muffled. Akihiko could hear Misaki's frantic muffled voice and chains jingling in the background.

["Don't you dare fucking touch him! What do you want from me?! If it's money I'll give it to you. Just why the hell are you doing this?!"]

"Haha you make me laugh. I don't need money. I just want you to listen. It wouldn't be fun if I told you my motive behind this. It would ruin the surprise."

["Please don't hurt Misaki. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way."]

"Oh but he does. Listen carefully to what I'm about to do to him."

["Stop what your doing you! Don't touch him!"]

"But I already did. Didn't you receive the photos I sent to you?"

["Why the hell did that to him for? You sick bastard! Was it because of last night?!"]

"What do you mean by last night? I don't know what your on about but your asking to many questions. It's starting to bore me."

Armel placed the phone by his knees and leaned down next to Misaki to threaten him again. "Now Misaki be a good boy and scream for help. But if you dare even mention any clue to them about me. I'll kill your brother and his family first and then Akihiko and then the Usamis. Simple as that."

Armel removed his hand from the brunette's mouth.

"Please no, don't hurt them please!" the brunette begged out loudly.

The raven resumed back up, he placed the phone on the white pillow beside Misaki's elevated head and started to unbutton his pants.

"No, no, no please don't do this to me! Usagi I'm so sorry. Please forgive me!"

["Misaki! Hold it in there! Don't you dare hurt Misaki you bastard!"].

Akihiko's heart raced when he realized the danger Misaki was in. His only one and only lover was about to be violated before him. He panicked for he could do nothing to save his Misaki. He felt completely useless and weak. Haruhiko placed his arm on Akihiko's shoulder whose violet eyes appeared watery.

"Don't let that man get to your head," he spoke in a low tone.

Haruhiko got up from his seat and stood beside Tadao to see what he was doing. "Can you get a location?" he spoke quietly to the guard.

"No I'm trying my hardest. I have detected a signal but whenever I try to trace it, it keeps diverting me elsewhere. Its encrypted. This person must have some sort of high tech IT security system, like a super computer. It's like whenever I try to find a way through an opening, a door shuts right in my face. I need time. The longer the line is open the better. But I assume the person behind this is a highly trained professional in this type of field. He's able to prevent us from accessing the signal."

"How is he preventing us from finding his location?" Haruhiko questioned.

Tadao sighed deeply. "He keeps diverting our detection to a different location. Its like a virtual private network, where he can choose a bogus location for us to detect instead. At first I detected the signal at London but then I tried to track the signal to ensure that it wasn't bogus. All the sudden the signal was diverted to Mexico. I tried again to hack into the signal but I got diverted to China and now I'm getting diverted to Hawaii. It's hard to explain. But I'm trying to find my way around the bogus signals."

"Keep trying!" Akihiko ordered. He tightened his fist on the table as he listened to Misaki's struggles.

Meanwhile back at Armel's secure computer room Dulio was having fun selecting the countries to divert the bogus signal to. He dunk his macadamia nut cookies into his warm mug of hot chocolate while listening to smooth jazz as he clicked on the mouse. The baldie detected an attempt of hacking through their definite signal barrier. He then decided to send a virus to Tadao if he entered through the first barrier. It was like unweaving into a cocoon full of spiders before they could get into the main core.

The sounds of chains clanking increased as Misaki struggled to free himself. He tried to kick the raven off from removing his pants but the pain on his back made it impossible for him to do so.

"Please master please don't do this to me!"

Armel was able to remove the brunette's clothing. Misaki panicked from the indecent exposure and tried to close his legs as tight as possible. The raven unbelted his pants and pushed Misaki's legs apart without much fight.

"No! No stop please I beg you please! Usagi save me from him. I don't want to get—ARGHHH!" Misaki screamed in penetrative pain.

["MISAAKKII!"]

The raven had forced himself into Misaki with extreme force without any preparation or lubrication. The brunette shrilled when he felt the sharp pain stab into his body. His sobbed uncontrollably as the raven continued to thrust relentlessly into him. Warm salty tears flooded down his cheeks as he gasped, sobbed and coughed violently. The unbearable ripping pains caused his body to twitch and convulse involuntarily. Red and purple discoloration begun to appear around his wrists as he tried to pull himself free from the restraints. He bent and curled his feet as he gritted his teeth and rolled his head side to side. Armel smiled as he gazed down onto the suffering brunette. The raven angled his thrusts in various angles in order to induce more pain and damage.

"ARGHHH! Usagi please help me! Please!"

Akihiko placed both of his hands on his head with his elbows resting on the table while scrunching his hair at the same time. He listened to the piercing cries of his lover as he was violated and tormented in the worst possible way. A drop of tear managed to escape from his eyes and dripped onto the table. It was heart wrenching to listen and each scream drove Akihiko into a world of desolation. The silver haired wanted to crucify the owner alive if he ever got his hands on him. Fuyuhiko watched his son's sullen expression. A worried look appeared across the old man's face. Why was this brought onto his son? What did the owner want and what did he have against him and his family? Fuyuhiko felt an urge to protect his sons.

"Haruhiko sir pass me the other computer now," Tadao ordered as he pointed to the other table full of electronic devices and equipment.

Haruhiko did as what the guard requested and passed him the smaller laptop. Tadao then opened up a program that displayed a screen full of codes.

"What are you doing?"

"I've located a hidden signal, which is likely to be the real signal. Although just because it's hidden doesn't mean its doesn't have traps. We'll trigger some, mostly likely a password required domain or a virus. Therefore its always good to have a spare computer on the side. This will take time, keep the call on. I need the time,". Tadao proceeded to type as fast as he could on the keyboard.

Misaki lost his strength to scream and the will to fight on. Too much pain had been inflicted him within two days. His movement ceased as his body collapsed from exhaustion. He panted and gasped heavily while his sobs toned down. Armel paused his thrusts.

"Hm. Giving up already have we?"

"Usargi," he croaked softly. His throat was dry from all the screaming.

["Misaki! Speak to me. Misaki?"]

Misaki and Armel could hear Akihiko's voice soften like he was about to cry. Indeed the silver haired was lightly crying over at the other side.

The raven watched in amusement at the interaction between the two lovers. He waited until the right moment before he would continue on his torture.

"Usa—argii…(heavy tired breathing)…I—I love you," he replied in a croaky weak tone.

Akihiko's violet eyes lit up.

"Mi—Misaki, I love you too. Hold on in there I promise. I. Will. Find. You."

Akihiko lightly sniffled. More teardrops fell onto the wooden desk. His Misaki had just confessed that he loved him. The last time he tried to say that was when Akihiko felt insecure about their relationship. The boy stuttered an incomplete I love you to him after he had fixed Suzuki's ribbon. Further memories were brought up of the time Misaki confessed on the beautiful city night in the Ferris wheel. That was one spectacular night Akihiko would always remember and cherish in his heart.

The raven had found his moment to interrupt the two. He slid his left hand under Misaki's back and dug his nails into Misaki's partially head lacerated wounds and thrusted in at the same time.

The brunette's eyes widened to the fullest in response to the sudden excruciating pain. "ARGGGHHHH!" he shrieked on the top of his lungs.

["MISAAKKII! What is he doing to you now?! Misaki! Oh no, please stop hurting him! He doesn't deserve this. Please stop! What do you want?! Will you even negotiate with me?!"]

Misaki's piercing screams grew louder and longer than before. The pain inflicted on him was triple than the first. Armel ignored Akihiko. The raven was too caught up in the enjoyment of hurting Misaki. The brunette arched his head back. His face was intense red and covered in wet tears. He forgot to inhale in enough oxygen which gradually caused him to feel dizzy. His vision started to blur. Ringing noises filled his ears and his body begun to feel numb. Everything around the room including voices begun to distort and finally his world blackened. He had fainted.

"You got to be fucking kidding me! Stop fainting whenever I'm having fun with you!" the raven grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Armel retracted from the brunette and inhaled deeply through his nose. It irritated him when Misaki passed out before he could complete what he had intended to do. He zipped up his trousers and took the phone from Misaki's side to set it off loudspeaker before placing it by his ear.

"Akihiko or should I say Usagi. How was that for you?"

Akihiko gritted his teeth as a terrifying vengeful dark aura surrounded him. A diabolical flame larger than the depths of hell burned fiercely within the silver haired. He held the phone closer to his face.

"I will not forgive what you have done to Misaki. I'll find you. Your just a fucking coward hiding behind a phone. Cowards like you are not worthy of anything," Akihiko spoke harshly in a cold tone.

This offended the raven. Armel eyes narrowed in resentment. "Well well look at whose talking. What can an ordinary author like you do? Are you going to write something hurtful to me? That's not going to save Misaki,". The raven laughed wickedly at Akihiko.

"You won't be laughing when I find your sorry ass and shoot you in the goddamn face! Your dare insult an Usami!" Akihiko shot back.

["Woah don't you feel big! Are you going to go crawling back to your father for help?! How does the Usami corporation stand against me? Your weak Akihiko! I could have your throat slit anytime I want!"]

Their argument heated into a raging war of irrational verbal jousting.

"Your fucking weak hiding behind—! Hey what the hell are you doing?!"

Fuyuhiko's protective fatherly instincts took over and he had removed the phone from his son's hands.

"One does not threaten my son the way he wishes in front of his father," the old man snarled coldly.

The raven got excited. His true enemy was listening the whole time. ["Fuyuhiko? Whoa you heard all that? Amazing! How does it feel to not have Misaki over for lunch? And oh yes I did have some of my men infiltrate into Akihiko's home. Nice bear carving by the way."]

Akihiko and Fuyuhiko looked at each other in shock. Their enemy had been watching them this whole time. "Have you been stalking my son?!" his father roared. His wrath was now unleashed.

"How the hell did they get into my apartment?!"

["For a moment only to find out about Misaki's life. But when you have contacts who can access your identity and background checks, its useful. I know everything about Misaki. His school. His home. His family. Maybe I won't be so nice to his family and you next time."]

"I'll have your men killed before they dare even set their eyes on my sons!" Fuyuhiko bellowed.

"Got the location!" Tadao yelled. Akihiko and Haruhiko rushed over to Tadao's side to peer down at the screen.

All the sudden the screen froze over the map of southern Europe. Tadao tapped the keyboard to get a response. The map didn't even zoomed in. Was this even the correct location and area?

"What's happening?" Akihiko asked.

"We got into the definite signal but the traps came down on us. We can't zoom into the country but the computer detected a signal from around those countries. Could be Greece, Italy, Spain or one of those countries."

"That explains the European architecture and items in the pictures," Haruhiko added.

Tadao tapped on the keyboard again. This time he moved over to the other smaller laptop and continued to type at an incredibly fast speed. All the sudden the other hacked laptop started to play an upbeat techno pop song.

(SFX Crazy Frog Beng Beng Tune playing)

"Okay what's happening now?" Akihiko asked.

Fuyuhiko and everybody paused to turn their attention to the hacked computer. The raven was heard laughing at the background as the music played on it's own accord.

Tadao tapped repeatedly on the escape button of the keyboard on the smaller laptop. Suddenly there was static sizzling sound coming from the larger laptop before it shut down and the music ceased.

The line was cut off for both parties.

"Hello?" the raven asked. "Fuck! I was just getting started."

He threw the phone on the bed.

"Fuyuhiko," he gritted.

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13 A New Lead

Unbeta Version.- well they all are unbeta chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

A.N: Hey guys thank you for the lovely reviews and support. You know who you are. Thank you so much. Keep up with the reviews and suggestions. I do take them into consideration if they are able to fit into the plot.

Enough blabbing. Now some warnings for this chapter.

 **WARNING**!: Do not follow Misaki's or Armel's behaviour. Psychological Humiliation in this part. Non-explicit though :( but still not for young viewers.

* * *

 **{~0~}**

 **A New Lead**

During the campus evacuation.

Hiroki and Miyagi departed from their office with their workload. Hiroki grunted as Miyagi dumped more assignments onto him to mark. His eyebrow twitched involuntarily as he tried to defuse the anger that was about to be ignited anytime soon. He didn't mind marking Miyagi's students assignments but this was getting ridiculous. If Miyagi weren't grieving, maybe Hiroki would have ripped into him by now for complete laziness.

The two sauntered in silence as they passed through the campus. They were stopped numerously on their way out by officers informing them on the closure of the area. Hiroki swore that if they were to be stopped once again he would blow, and that would be catastrophic. Miyagi wore an sullen expression the whole time. The poor man was lost in his thoughts. Hiroki saw this but acted the way his usually did to help the professor overcome his depression and eventually move on.

But he never did. He lost his sensei. He lost Risako, well divorced.

But he wasn't going to lose Shinobu.

Never.

The two reached the entrance.

"Goddamn this place is still crowded. Don't these kids understand what they mean by closure. No wonder they can barely even pass my class," the brown haired frowned.

Miyagi just grunted a quick reply to Hiroki's remarks and dodged through the crowd. Hiroki followed behind, his vision was partially blocked by the mountain layers of paperwork that he was currently holding. Cursing under his breath as he coordinated through the murmuring crowd, he assumed Miyagi kept his pace in front of him.

But he was wrong.

"Gahhh ack!"

Hiroki had walked into Miyagi as the man stopped in front of him, causing him trip backwards and land on his bottom. Sheets of paper escaped from his grasp and glided down freely everywhere in the air.

"Baka!" Hiroki groaned. "Miyagi! Why did you stop for?!"

Hiroki looked towards his front as Miyagi stood aside to help him.

"Ah shit."

Meanwhile back at Akihiko's apartment.

The three slumped back against the couch in relief after the officers left. Guess Takahiro and his family didn't have to visit the police station after all.

"I can't believe Misaki's university was targeted. I mean that's his future," Takahiro said.

He exhaled heavily and shook his head in disbelief at the thought of Misaki's life crumbling. What more did this man want to do to Misaki besides ruining his life and everything he had built to solidify his foundation.

Akihiko sighed as well. He lit another cigarette, ignoring the fact that there was kid around. He didn't have time to worry about others. His mind was focused on Misaki only and the stress was eating him inside out. He could only feel sorry for his lover. Imagine the recovery process. No matter how much pain Misaki had to endure that would definitely affect his once innocent personality, Akihiko would always remain by his side. He would be there to support him in every single way. He was willing to protect him and his future.

Akihiko sat there silently in his thoughts. What he wanted was the footage of the underlings who carried out the dirty work. They were all involved. Which means they will all pay.

"Even worse the whole population of Japan is going to hear this. Give my little brother some privacy," Takahiro continued. "Having Misaki's disappearance publicized for the purpose of searching him was alright but to have these photos being talked about?!"

"Didn't the police say the reporters are at the university right now? Do you want to check the news" Manami asked to her husband with a concern tone.

Takahiro sighed. He couldn't shake off the feeling where he needed to know something. "Usagi. Can I turn on the TV?"

"Go ahead. It's the grey remote on the table."

"Thanks Usagi."

Takahiro rose from his spot and turned on the TV. He flicked through the channels until he stumbled on the live news.

A middle aged blond woman dressed in a nice brown office attire was seen standing in front of the university. She stood directly outside where Akihiko would drop off Misaki. Students, police officers and staff were seen crowded behind the woman, but kept their distance to give her space.

"…it appears the criminals who did this, fled the scene after scattering the disturbing images of the student…"

Takahiro and his wife were focused on the reporter whereas Akihiko was getting sidetracked by the background. A black haired man was seen accidently walking directly into camera view behind the woman but stopped immediately when he noticed the recording. His eyes lit up in surprise. Suddenly someone had accidently bumped into the man from behind causing him to jerk forward slightly.

To his surprise when the man shifted aside, Akihiko recognized his old friend; Hiroki. The brown haired fell shamelessly on the floor, all his papers were scattered around him and the crowd turned to stare at the associate professor. Hiroki looked directly at the camera before mouthing indistinctly towards it. Maybe if Akihiko was in a good mood, maybe he would chuckle in response to the accident, but he didn't. No one was in the mood to laugh.

Back at the university.

"That's just great Miyagi. Block up the whole path why don't you! Save me from this embarrassment!"

"Kay, kay, kay," Miyagi mumbled as he helped his colleague.

The two quickly rushed to clean up the mess to get out of the camera view. The reporter seemed oblivious to the activity behind her back. Although she did noticed that her cameramen were all grinning at something.

"Oi Nowaki!" Tsumori called out to the intern doctor.

Nowaki was on his break. The doctor took out his late lunch and placed it on the table.

"Hm?"

"Look Nowaki. Your wife is on TV," the other doctor motioned his head to face the TV that was screwed onto the wall.

Nowaki's mouth gaped wide open. "Hiro-san?"

"Come on. Lets get out of here now," Hiroki ordered.

The two quickly scrambled from the scene. Miyagi was kind enough to help carry the load off from Hiroki. Finally they were away from the area and sighed in relief. The two split ways, Hiroki headed back home to finish his work. He might as well make use of time before that kitten was allowed back into the apartment.

Miyagi also headed home. Work didn't interest him that much and he left most of the work to Hiroki. The professor stood outside Shinobu's apartment with the spare key his lover gave to him. He remembered after the day his lover was the taken, he would wait outside or inside, waiting for him to turn up.

But he never did.

The key was a constant reminder of the bond they had entrusted to each other.

Miyagi sighed deeply and gripped the key tightly in his fist before moving back to his apartment door to unlock it. As he entered he tossed his work bag onto the kitchen counter. He removed the paper of Misaki's beaten body that was sent to university and pinned it on a giant board in his living room. With a red white board marker he wrote on the board.

'Linked to Shinobu's kidnapping?'

Next to Misaki's paper, a large map consisting of marked red circles were seen. Miyagi had gathered all the locations where the victims were deemed missing. The room was filled with piles of newspapers, research materials and photographs.

The professor was not rich and powerful like Akihiko, nor did he bear the Usami name, but he had one thing.

Intelligence.

With the knowledge gained throughout his life, Miyagi expanded his area of interest into forensics. The professor was able to predict the next area of targetable victims and had managed to stalk the vehicle and some of the culprits responsible. Photos of the van and the suspects were plastered all over the white board.

Despite the intel he managed to gather so far, this wasn't solid enough to prosecute and bring justice to the criminals. Nonetheless Miyagi was actually the one who wanted to prosecute, or in other words kill the men responsible for taking his lover himself.

What he needed was access to the security recording, maybe they were the same criminals who took Shinobu. Curious by what the footage contained, he had to get his hands on it. Televisions do not reveal the entire footage, nor was it clear as the actually one. Therefore planning was crucial, and the man decided to plan out his break in.

It was risky but it needed to be done.

For Shinobu, he would risk his life.

[~¥~]

Present.

"What happened?!" Akihiko demanded.

"They disconnected after we locked onto their definite signal," Tadao replied.

"FUUUCK!" Akihiko bellowed in enraged dismay.

The silver haired took hold onto an adjacent wooden chair and threw it with powerful-berserker like strength. The chair was hurled at great velocity towards the wall, creating a loud thundering thud. Everyone including his father jerked slightly upon the impact.

Infuriated by the abrupt abortion of the signal, Akihiko kicked the table leg. He had lost his only connection with Misaki. Furthermore he didn't even get a chance to negotiate with the owner. Nor did he knew what Misaki's owner wanted or what his intentions were.

Fuyuhiko rose from his spot and adjusted the inner sides of his formal jacket as he stood. "Tadao did you get an exact location?"

"Not an exact location, but an estimate is what I should say. According to the map. Misaki is highly likely to be somewhere in Southern Europe. That's all I could get out of that I'm sorry."

"You did the best you could Tadao," Fuyhiko reassured.

"How did Misaki get there?! The man spoke fluent Japanese. Are you sure that wasn't a bogus signal?!"

"Akihiko. With trafficking, nothing is impossible. Just because he speaks Japanese doesn't mean he has to be in Japan," Haruhiko stated with his arms crossed.

"Your brother is right Akihiko and as your father I hope that you realise rescuing Misaki is now out of the question."

"I don't care if Misaki is over at the other side of the world or in space! I'm going to find Misaki and save him from that fucking rapist! He needs me and I need him! I'm not asking for your help!"

"Akihiko calm down. We know your upset over this but we need to think this through. We're not dealing with some rich man now. If he was able to gather information about Misaki and hire all those underlings, then I'm sure he also has links to high class criminals. Unless he is one himself," Haruhiko said.

"What makes me wonder is why he had also threatened the Usami family. Unless he has something against you guys and not directly at Akihiko. Since I know for sure your corporation is powerful. I'm sure you also…wait."

Tadao cupped his chin with his fingers as he contemplated. All the evidence gathered this morning were collated and interpreted in his investigative cortex. He raised his dominant finger in the air to offer his opinion. "Guys this makes sense. This is great!"

Everyone stared at the guard with bemusement in reaction to his remark.

"Ahaha," he chuckled lightly. " That's not what I meant. What I mean is that you guys have the upper hand here."

Fuyuhiko's side eyebrow raised. "What are your implying here?" he queried.

"Well sir this is my theory based on the evidence I have gathered so far. The letter sent this morning was specifically for you and it mentioned your corporation and bullying. So I assume this person held something against you and the corporation in the past, and is now finally seeking some form of revenge."

"Then how does this involve Misaki, me and his brother and also his university?! It doesn't make sense if this person is targeting my father only!" Akihiko added.

"Well it does if you understand a criminal's mind. Even though this man had something against your father, one can also bring misery to his children. I'm not saying that this true but its only a theory. I believe that this man blames Fuyhiko for something tragic that happened to him. Although being wealthy and now living in Southern Europe, he doesn't have the power to overthrow the Usami's since Japan is your territory. Therefore this is where hiring underlings comes in handy. And for Misaki's case he was somehow kidnapped and sold by chance to your enemy. Somehow he managed to find out about your relationship by stalking or questioning Misaki himself. Therefore he hurts Misaki in order to hurt Akihiko and his loved ones. But what makes we wonder even more is how is he using Misaki against Fuyuhiko. Though he did mention something about bear carvings."

Fuyuhiko sighed deeply. "I gave Misaki a bear carving as a present. On the note I wrote I would like to offer him out to lunch sometimes, to thank him properly for helping me."

"Aha," Tadao snapped his fingers as an idea flicked into his mind. "That's it! That's why he thinks you have accepted Misaki as your son-in-law. He thinks hurting Misaki will also affect you."

Recalling back to the letter Fuyuhiko received this morning, everything started to make sense for them. Except for Akihiko.

"I'm lost here. What do you mean by son-in-law?!"

The three turned to Akihiko and explained to him what was written on the card.

Akihiko's complexion turned ghastly pale after he listened to what they said. So their father was the reason why Misaki was severely and brutally tortured. Akihiko couldn't believe this. Even though this was merely a theory, there was no other explanation that would fit with this scenario.

Respiring in deeply, Akihiko gritted his teeth and pointed with his dominant finger at his father.

"This all your fault! You and your pathetic corporation. This is why I didn't want any part of it. Look at what it has done to Misaki! You have blood on your hands! If Misaki dies from this man. I BLAME YOU!" Akihiko shouted with acrimony in his deep voice.

"Akihiko. I'm sorry that this had been brought upon Misaki. But it is my job to run my company and it will not crumble to some maniac."

"There you go again with your fucking company. You don't even care about anyone else besides yourself. You know what, a man like you will have no one. No one. Not even me will come and visit your grave, or be by your side when you depart from this world!"

"Akihiko don't you ever speak like that to your father!"

Those harsh words hurt Fuyuhiko and it deeply stung his heart.

"I can say what I want! In my eyes you have never been a father to me!"

"Don't raise your voice at me! Learn your place boy!"

"Learn my place?! You always are looking down at others. Come on you look down at Misaki as a commoner. You treat evicted residents as a hindrance to your company—!"

"Hindrance?" Tadao mumbled under his breath as pondered at what Akihiko had just said.

"You even treat Jiro worse than a dog," Haruhiko joined. Deep down inside the man, he had also despised his father.

"Now don't you start as well Haruhiko!"

"Start?! You want to see start?! Lets see, you deprived me of a proper childhood. Everyone expected me to be like you! You even forced me to marry my own cousin. I'm sick of your influence! I want to live my dream as an architect! Not your way!"

The brothers surrounded their father side by side like a pack of hungry wolfs. Their eyes gleaming with resentment and the exigency for self-righteous. Akihiko and Haruhiko begun to tirade and berate their father with unforgiving insults. The room was filled with uncomfortable auras of anger, hate and despair. The two had released their internal suffering, mainly loneliness against their father. Fuyuhiko crept back slowly as they animatedly shouted at him while gesturing and pointing their fingers furiously. His sons were extremely appalled about how their father had raised them.

All the sudden something unexpected unfolded in front of them. Fuyuhiko started to sob. For the first time, since the day they could crawl, they witnessed their father cry. Fuyuhiko softly sob as he covered his face with one of his palms in remorseful shame.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry my sons. Please forgive me for my failure to provide you two a happy life."

The sobbing old man slumped back down onto the chair. "I've been too caught up in perfecting our family business, I did whatever I could to empower our corporation. I didn't realise how I made you two feel. I'm sorry."

The brothers quickly glanced at each other in confusion. They had expected more of an aggressive superiority response from the old man. Unsure what to say, they idly remained silent to let their father calm down. Meanwhile Tadao quietly distracted himself by packing up the cables and placing them back into a black pouch. He didn't want to interfere with the Usami family affairs.

"Sons you have the right to be angry at your father. But please don't threaten to leave me by myself. As an old man that's the last thing he would want hear. Your mothers left me. My parents are gone. I only have you two left. And yes I have been controlling most of your lives. And I'm sorry. I just wanted to continue our legacy. What sort of old man doesn't want to have grandchildren. But I know you two aren't into woman, and I respect your choice just as long as your happy."

"Don't expect us to forgive you that easily," Akihiko grouched with his arms crossed.

"I know, that's why I'm going to help you search for Misaki."

Akihiko eyes widened. "You—you really mean it?"

"Yes I mean it but that doesn't mean we're going to war with this man. We need as much intel as possible before we can take action to rescue Misaki."

"Your not lying, are you?"

"Why would I lie to my son. I want to see my sons smile, and also to redeem myself for what I've done."

"I don't know what to say. This means so much to me."

"I'm glad to hear that. Oh and Haruhiko. Jiro is allowed to sleep in the room next to you. You have my blessing both of you. And I mean it."

The old man smiled warmly to them.

The muscle tension and emotional culmination within the brothers gradually reclined to a normal state. Their father had admitted his failed parenting and their improper upbringing. Mixed emotions brew within the two. They could never forgive their father easily, but to offer assistance with the investigation and granting them both blessings with their love life, this was something…

It was hope. A new start for the Usami family as one and not separate.

"Ahem. One more thing. Does that mean I'm allowed to take Jiro out to public places?" Haruhiko asked curiously.

"Only in disguise but he is your responsibility. Remember the consequences can be dear if word gets out."

"Understood."

The brothers smiled slightly in grace at the freedom that was given to them. The barrier between their father had been lifted, all thanks to their united rebellion. They just hoped their father kept his word.

"Tadao. We're expanding our investigation. I want your expertise in this field as an ex-detective and agent. Akihiko, Haruhiko. Tadao will be leading the investigation. He is trained in this field. We've got the best team working on this case. If you need anything, don't be afraid to request for his assistance."

"Yes sir," Tadao replied before turning to face Akihiko. "I'm here to help you find Misaki and bring him back home safely. I am pleasured to offer you my assistance and knowledge," he bowed formally to his superior.

"Thank you Tadao. And thank you for trying to locate the signal."

"No problem sir its my job. By the way everyone I think we might of found a new idea for our investigation."

"What's your idea?" Akihiko asked.

"A short-list."

"What are you proposing?" Fuyuhiko joined.

"You said you had evicted families from their homes. I assume that was for construction?"

"Yes."

"Can you remember anyone that has retaliated or threatened you for doing that? Or any enemies unrelated to the eviction."

"Hm. I did get a lot of death threats but the only people that have ever stepped onto my property during an eviction was the Yamano family. But she was merely a single mum with only one son.

"What did she want?"

"She wanted me to revoke the eviction but I couldn't, so she attacked me. The kid refused to leave with his mother so I had the guards remove them both. She still refused to leave my property and then the police was called. She was then later arrested and charged for trespassing. After that her property was seized due to financial crisis. I assume the kid was pulled out school. But after that incident I don't know what happened to them."

"How old would that son be? If he were to be alive today."

"I don't know—."

"Same age as me. We went to same school," Akihiko added.

"I think I might have heard screaming that day," Haruhiko said as he recalled some of the memories from that time.

"The whole mansion heard it," Fuyuhiko said as he intertwined his fingers into a fist on the table.

"Heard what sir?"

"Their shouting as the guards forced them out of our property."

"Akihiko sir. Do you the name of the boy?"

"Hmm… Let me think. This was a long time ago."

Then Akihiko remembered those intimidating blue-sky eyes. The name of the child instantly clicked into his head.

"His name was Armel, and he was a mixed race child."

[~¥~]

Continuation from Golden Abyss Part I

Akihiko rushed to grab his stationary equipment and shoved it into his side brown leather bag. He was late for his group meeting at Hiroki's place. Finding the last set of exquisite rare coloring pencils brought home from England, Akihiko was about to grab it but another hand had snatched them away from his grasp.

"I need them!" came the scolding voice of a younger Haruhiko.

"But I need them for a school project," Akihiko replied calmly. He was used to having his older brother take away his belongings.

"You got plenty of coloring pencils. I need them."

And that was the end of it. No arguments. Akihiko would just let him have it. There was no point in fighting over useless items. Sighing in deeply after his elder brother had left the room, Akihiko hoisted the strap over the his shoulder and made his way to the front door. As he was about to reach the main entrance of his home, he spotted a boy and his mother.

"Armel?"

"Ak—kihiko," the raven stuttered and jerked in surprise.

"I thought we were meeting at Hiroki's place?"

"Umm yeah, um about that—."

"Usami Fuyuhiko will see you now, madam. Follow me please me," Tanaka stood from the second floor on top of the stairs.

"About time. Armel you can wait here with your friend if you want."

"Huh? Mum wait!" the raven called out to his mother.

Akihiko was left in a confused state. What was Armel doing here with his mother? And what business did they have with his father? Unsure what to do, he decided to wait near the front door for the boy to return. Akihiko raised his right arm to check the time on his watch. Now he was really running late. He let out a long sigh as he leaned his back against the wall. Hiroki must be waiting impatiently for them both.

Not long after Akihiko waited, muffled shouts were heard echoing through the wooden spacious halls. They appear to be coming from his father's office. Akihiko resided from his relaxed posture and glanced suspiciously towards the second floor.

What on Earth was going on?

Next minute, the silver haired could hear growing feminine high pitch screeching, followed by Armel's sobbing. A couple of his mansion security guards hauled the pair down the stairs.

"Put me down! You pathetic worms! Fuyuhiko how can you do this to us!" the woman screamed furiously as she pounded her fists onto the guard that was carrying her.

"USAMI!" Armel wailed. The raven kneed and wavered his arms simultaneously in the air and into the guard.

As the pair were getting removed from the building. Akihiko couldn't help but to feel sorry as well as stare in shock at the scene. Meanwhile in a room not far, Haruhiko paused his drawing of architectural housing when he heard the faint distant screaming. He placed down the coloring pencils and paced outside to investigate the noise. But there was no one around where he was. Well that was scary. Did one of the maids get murdered or something? Haruhiko shivered on the thought of someone being murdered in his own home.

Once the pair were removed from the premises, the mansion fell into empty silence again. Akihiko was left speechless. Did that just happen? He scratched the side of his head as he processed what had just occurred. Moments later Fuyuhiko came stomping while rubbing along his neck. Tanaka followed behind his master. The old man frowned and grumbled indistinctly as he made his way down the stairs.

"Why did you let that psycho woman in Tanaka?" he growled in a discontented tone.

"I'm sorry master I asked if she had an appointment and she replied yes."

"How did a commoner get into in my home. Might as well let everybody in if that's the case!" he scoffed.

Fuyuhiko spotted his son. Clearly the boy was left startled by the situation. The old man sighed when he realized his son had partially witnessed the drama and he wasn't too happy about it.

"This doesn't concern you Akihiko. Go back to your room or whatever," his father growled.

Akihiko froze for a couple of seconds before leaving the hallway.

Back to school.

Akihiko popped his head into class. Armel was nowhere to be seen. All he could see was a smiling sensei, fangirls, jealous boys and one grumpy Kamijou. The silver haired bowed to his superior and sauntered into room to sit down behind his desk next to Hiroki. The brown haired was displeased at the lack of group cooperation during the weekend. Armel didn't return back to Hiroki's place after they had disappeared off into the Usami property.

"Well good morning class. Lets start with our morning topic. Bring out—."

Armel stormed into the classroom, his attitude visibly agitated as he quickly rushed, almost stomping to his desk.

"Yamano-kun! Why are you late? Where are your manners?" the teacher scolded at the young raven.

Armel grunted ignorantly at the teacher and lazily threw his bag under his desk before slumping down on his chair. Everybody in the room stared at him in bewilderment at his odd behavior. Akihiko watched the raven with a worried expression. The raven didn't look or glance towards the silver haired. Instead he just kept his head down.

"Yamano-kun what's with this attitude? Apologize now and tell me why are you late?"

No reply.

"Yama—."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP WILL YOU!" the raven roared back at the teacher. Armel gritted his teeth as he gave the teacher a menacing glare. Every student including the teacher gasped in surprising shock at the profanity outburst.

"PRINCAPLE NOW YOUNG MAN!" she ordered with her hand pointing towards the door.

Armel furiously snatched his bag from the floor and stomped out of the room without looking back.

"Such a strong language for a young boy," she shook her head in disappointment.

The classroom fell into awkward silence. This was unexpected. Akihiko sighed lightly for he knew what troubled the boy.

Lunch had approached and Hiroki had to quickly use the restroom to relief his bladder. He entered the boys toilet only to find the raven leaning forward with his both of his hands on the white sink. The boy had a blank mixed with a hint of a sullen expression on his face. The brown haired approached the disturbed child.

"Umm hey—."

"Define suffer…" the raven muttered softly. His head still facing down creating a mysterious aura.

"Huh?" Hiroki was confused by his request. "Umm well suffer means. Well from what I read suffer means to be subjected to something unpleasant I guess. How come you didn't come back? We already designed the layout for the poster. We need you—."

"Haahahaa."

The raven chuckled wickedly to himself which creeped out Hiroki. Was this kid mental or what?

"Define. Fear," he requested again. This time he faced Hiroki, revealing his watery blue eyes. The raven smirked as he slowly moved towards Hiroki.

"Okay then," the light brown haired swallowed. This kid was starting to frighten him. The manic gleaming from his eyes attributed to the freakiness. "Well fear is… fear is."

Hiroki's heart rate increased as the raven came closer with his right arm rising towards his neck. This was fear. Armel's evil smirk grew wider as he watched the other boy retreat back until the wall prevented him to do so.

"Is this fear?" the raven spoke calmly as his spread palm was now only an inch far away from Hiroki's pulsating neck.

"Piss off!" the light brown haired flicked the raven's arm away. His brown eyes tainted with terrified fear. "Are you crazy! Who even does this?!". Hiroki immediately fled from the raven and out of the restroom.

Frustrated by the failure to completely induce fear, Armel knew he needed more than that to have control over his victims. Victims are people and they will retaliate back. What he needed was power. The power to control and manipulate his enemies. This was what he wanted.

Power.

Armel exited the bathroom moments later only to bump into Akihiko. The silver haired was startled by the sudden close contact.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked in a concern tone.

Armel didn't respond but shot a narrow death glare at him. All Akihiko could see were those icy cold sky blue eyes, which sent tingling shivers down his spine. The raven continued to walk off with his hands resting coolly in his pockets.

And that was the last time Akihiko ever saw or heard from the boy.

[~¥~]

"Akihiko?" Haruhiko tapped his shoulder. "You've blanked out just then."

"Hm?"

"Do you personally know anything about Armel," Tadao asked Akihiko.

"No. But I know a close friend who might know that kid better than I did."

"Who?"

"Hiroki. He's Misaki's lecturer. He's known that kid since first year of junior school."

"It sounds like that kid would fit as a suspect. Knowing after what happened to his home."

"Yeah thanks to father."

Fuyuhiko brushed off the comment. He knew that it was his fault, but sulking over the matter won't fix anything. His mind was once set on corporate greed, now he was paying the price.

"Armel does sound quite Italian," Haruhiko suggested.

"Because it is," Akihiko stated the obvious.

"Hm. Then it does make sense. If the mother was unable to provide for her son. Maybe he was sent back to his father, since he is mixed race. Could be half Italian. And Italy is in Southern Europe. This does place him as a high suspect," Haruhiko continued.

"Then we have a lead. I'll short-list all the victims of eviction. Although I'll try to gather as much background information as I can about this Armel guy. I have contacts in the police bureau. This may take a few days but I'll try my hardest. Akihiko sir can you try to contact your friend about this guy. Let me know if you find anything relevant."

"I'll pay him a visit tomorrow at the university."

"It seems we know what needs to be done. Lets just hope we've got the right guy," Fuyuhiko stated.

"What about Aku?" Haruhiko brought up.

"Yes that's right. Father do you know anyone or a kidnapper named Aku?"

"Akihiko. There's a lot of men named Aku. And no. Kidnappers working in trafficking keep their identity concealed. Only their dealers would know their names. Searching for a man named Aku is futile."

Akihiko sighed in disappointment. "Your right. We do what we can now. But we also have to deal with the underlings. Those fuckers have been stalking me."

"Speaking of underlings Akihiko. They can't do much since its our territory. We just need to double our security. I'm placing loyal guards under your care. If they managed to infiltrate your secured apartment, they won't be able to do so now. You said earlier that Misaki's family was also involved?"

"Yes Misaki's older brother had also received those letters."

"Hm. It seems they know Misaki quite well. Where is his family staying?"

"In my apartment for now. Locked in safely. I offered them to stay there until things appear safe."

"That's good. Keep them safe there until this is over. I believe our enemy is toying us. He'll get bored and that's when you should expect the worse and try to prevent it."

"He also needs to work."

"Then we assign him a bodyguard for escort. Its simple. Tadao you organize the guards."

"Yes sir. They should be assigned to their posts by early tomorrow morning. And Akihiko, your apartment needs to undergo security upgrades. Similar to what we have here. Also from years of experience in detective work may I request your permission Akihiko and Fuyuhiko sir."

"What are you proposing again now?"

"That a investigating office will also be setup in your apartment Akihiko. This place is too far from the city and I may need to analyze my materials closer to the city."

"You mean an office similar to this?"

"Yes."

"Do what you need to do."

"Thank you sir. Looks like we have a lot of work to do. Especially me. I'll get everything organized with your security by tomorrow."

"Oh Akihiko when your leave this place. I'm worried about you driving back home yourself. I'll have two cars with guards to guide and protect you on your way home."

"Thank you father."

Their conversation ended for the evening and Akihiko headed home. Two black luxury cars followed Akihiko on his way back to his apartment. With his father and the corporation assisting, the search team had been expanded. This gave Akihiko a feeling of hope especially in dark times like this.

It turns out their visit to the underground city had nothing to do with the pictures.

Akihiko tightly gripped onto the steering wheel as he drove through the cold foggy night. His entire body was restless. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight after what happened to Misaki. How could he relax when Misaki was suffering over at the other side. Misaki's screams were incredibly loud that Akihiko could still hear his faint cries echoing in his head. Deep down inside, Akihiko felt his instincts telling him that the culprit was Armel.

It had to be him.

[~¥~]

White dust covered the finger tips of Shinobu's hand as he tried to tear off the broken tile from the corner floor of the bathroom. He struggled and huffed his breath as he tried to remove the edge of ceramic pieces. But they won't budge. The gluing technique sealed the tile well into place, preventing the blond from dislodging it.

Misaki had been gone for half an hour now. That Armel bastard had done something to him. Shinobu didn't want to sit down and wait. He wanted to do something to useful. The blond heard footsteps coming again from the hallway.

Shinobu rushed out, stumbling slightly along the way. The door opened and in came Don carrying Misaki's naked lifeless body on both his strong masculine arms. The brunette's arms and legs dangled around similar to a ragdoll. The brute had a disgruntled disgusted expression as he entered.

"Misaki!"

"Here's your friend. Eughh!"

Don was disgusted by the crimson red coagulated fluid that had leaked out from Misaki and onto his arms as he carried the boy. He quickly dropped the brunette on the floor but luckily Shinobu was there to catch his friend. The brute left as fast as he could to clean his arms.

"Misaki?! What did Armel do to you?! Oh my god Misaki."

The blond supported Misaki's upper body with his right arm. His grey eyes watered at the horrific sight in front of him. How could he do this to Misaki?! Shinobu wanted to plunge a knife deep into the raven's throat and twist it until he was dead. The way he had violated Misaki was incredibly more ruthless and brutal than the one Shinobu had received. Only a demon born from the dark abyss would dare commit a sin like this towards the living.

Shinobu lightly sniffled as he held the unconscious brunette.

"Misaki…I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything. Please forgive me."

He cradled the brunette close to his cool chest. As Shinobu gazed down, he was shock to see the amount of blood between his thighs. Saddened by the disturbing sight, the blond used all of his strength he could gather from his body and lifted his friend off from the cold dirty floor. As he rose up, he had almost lost his balance but managed to hold still. He carried Misaki over to the mattress and laid him flat down on his back.

As Shinobu was about to head back into the shower to grab one of the shirts to clean Misaki, he noticed blood on his lower right arm. Now how did blood get there? Unless his lacerated wounds were opened up again! Shinobu panicked! Shit! He turned Misaki's torso sideways to confirm. There it was, trails of blood that seeped out from the right side of his back.

"Oh no," the blond gasped.

He turned Misaki over sideways towards the wall. The mattress, including Shinobu's arms and hands were stained by his blood. Shinobu needed to clean Misaki's body again. He paced back into the bathroom and stared at the white shirts. He sighed and removed one of the shirts for cleaning. This was the second time he had to do this. How many more were coming? Was this the purpose of his life, to clean the blood off another human? What sin had he committed for him to perform such heart breaking duty?

[~¥~]

Akihiko unlocked the door to his apartment.

Takahiro waited in the lounge room for his friend to return. He couldn't rest, though he insisted that his family should. The man's half sleepy eye lit back up when he heard Akihiko enter and sat down on the adjacent couch.

"Usagi-san. What happened?! Did you managed to get your father to cooperate?"

Takahiro could see that there was something troubling the man and he was dying to know.

Akihiko lit a cigarette. The anxiety returned and he wanted to suppress it. The silver haired sighed heavily.

"There's good news and bad news Takahiro. You take your pick. I'm not really in the mood right now but I'll put this into simple context for you."

"Damn. Uh…"

Which one should Takahiro chose first? He decided to hear the good news first.

"Tell me the good news Usagi."

Akihiko took in a deep breath of his cigarette before answering.

"My father is willing to help us search for Misaki. We're short-listing possible suspects at the moment and we've also discovered a preliminary location for Misaki."

Takahiro jolted forward upon hearing the good news.

"Y—you mean you found Misaki. How?! Lets go find him!"

And that was the bad news. Akihiko's face fell stern as he continued to smoke. Explaining this was going to be difficult, even for him.

"Takahiro," Akihiko inhaled deeply. "Misaki…Misaki was…"

"Usagi? Misaki was what?"

Akihiko's eyes started to water. "Misaki's owner called me when I was over at my father's. He…that fucking bastard held Misaki against his will. He made me listen to what he did to Misaki!"

Takahiro's face turned ghostly pale. His hands trembled. He looked towards Akihiko with worrisome eyes.

"Is this real, what your telling me right now?" his voice sounded lower than usual.

"I wish I was lying Takahiro."

"Tell me everything Usagi."

And that was when Akihiko informed his friend everything that occurred during that time, including his father's involvement.

From the information absorbed, Takahiro had mixed feelings. Should he blame Usagi? The father? Or should he blame himself ? Worst of all Misaki was not in Japan?!

Takahiro cried for his little brother.

Guess the two won't be able to get any sleep tonight.

Akihiko offered alcohol to drown their sorrows. Takahiro accepted and thus they drunk all night until they were knocked out.

[~¥~]

(5:12pm Italy: 12:12 AM Japan)

Armel irately paced towards the cellar, following behind him was Don and another blond guard. He grumbled and cursed under his breath as he made his way towards Misaki's and Shinobu's cell. The raven had returned back from his meeting, relating to his casino.

"Ngrhh. Carlita's designs, Carlita's designs. Why are my customers so picky," he complained as he headed pass the cellar hallway.

Armel unlocked the cell door. Misaki should be awake by now. How long was the boy going to stay unconscious for anyway. Armel was frustrated about sending Shinobu and Carlita away every night just to keep his customers happy. Although on the bright side, he was eager to spend time with Misaki without having to deal with Shinobu's motherly lion like protective instincts. Armel was going to properly teach Misaki a lesson without necessarily beating him up.

His anticipation grew as the door swung open. As expected Shinobu was tending to Misaki. The blond wrapped his arms around the trembling brunette. Misaki laid curled on the mattress but later frantically shuffled upright in attempt to flee from the raven.

"Fuck off Armel!" Shinobu yelled.

"You seriously do not learn my blond pet. Don, do as I told you. Borris bring in the items I requested ASAP."

"Yes boss," the guards replied in unison.

Don quickly moved towards the blond and hoisted him over his shoulders with very little effort. Compared to Shinobu's size, the brute was a giant.

"Aghh! Put me down! Where are you taking me?!"

"My little blond pet. I'm assigning you as Carlita's assistant whether you like it or not. Get him out of here Don. Get Carlita later and get them both some appropriate clothes."

"Yes boss."

Shinobu continued to struggle but that didn't do much and before he knew it, he was already carried out from his cell.

"Leave Misaki alone you freak! What do you have against the Usami's?! Misaki is not one of them!"

"My reason remains classified for now little one. Hurry up and get him out of my sight Don."

Don nodded and left with the screaming blond.

After Shinbou was removed from the cell, this left Misaki trapped with Armel. With nowhere to run, Misaki wailed high pitch whines as the raven approached closer. He took out a pair of black fitted leather gloves and wore them fashionably in front of Misaki. The brunette couldn't even move properly, his wounds left him temporarily crippled. Armel kneeled down beside Misaki and cupped his chin. He gazed into those teary emerald orbs. He smirked as he saw the lingering fear glimmer within those eyes.

"It's not over yet Misaki. You left me hanging when I played with you twice. Twice you had fainted on me. And for that I will punish you for preventing me from completing my task."

"Plwease master. I'm in so much pain. It hurts so much already. Please stop doing to this me. I beg you. I can't bear with the pain anymore!" he sobbed weakly. The brunette begged with his hands intertwined into a fist.

"Shh, shh, shh Misaki. Be a good boy."

Armel pulled Misaki's upper sideway body close to his broad chest as he sat down. He held the shaking brunette in a tight embrace with his head underneath his chin.

"Shhhhhhhh. That's a good boy. Behave like an obedient pet for me. My sweet little Misaki.

"Pl—ease. I'm in a lot of pain…I—I can't take i—it anymore," the brunette stuttered emotionally.

"Of course you can't take it," the raven ran his fingers through Misaki's hair. "Your Usagi was too soft with you. Your body is too fragile. Look at you. Your trembling. Well I'm going to have to fix that. The more we make love my way Misaki, the more you will get used to it."

Misaki jerked away but the arms held onto him tightly. The raven smirked and pecked on top of the brunette's head.

Misaki was his.

All his.

With his left hand, Armel moved Misaki's thighs apart and gazed down. "Interesting. Shinobu cleaned you. You have such a caring friend. I'm envious of your relationship with him."

His gloved hand brushed along his skin and trailed down to his groin.

"Ahhh!" Misaki whined as he wiggled and twitched his legs. The raven removed his hand away from the startled reaction.

"Still got a bit of energy left in you I see. Good you will need it tomorrow. I'm sick of you fainting. You know how much that pisses me off."

"Don't rape me please!"

This time Armel's left hand moved up to his neck. The raven held Misaki's by the throat and pushed him slightly away. A warm wet tongue was then licked across his salty cheek in an upwards motion. More whimpers escaped from Misaki's lips as he cringed with his eyes shut.

"Your so cute. Makes me want to torture you even more. But right now lets get you something to eat. BORRIS!"

A flat plastic plate containing dog food was slid under the metal flap. Armel released Misaki and went over to pick up the dish. He then brought it back to Misaki.

"Here. Eat it," the raven said as he held the plate in front of Misaki's face.

The putrid smell of the minced chicken liver wafted up Misaki's nose causing him to nearly gag. Not only was the smell revolting but the appearance was almost resembling that of partially digested pink-grey vomit. To worsen the look, the brown broth liquid surrounding the meat was condensed, slimy and oily. As Armel shook the plate slightly, the meat would jiggle in a jelly like motion.

Nonetheless, the brunette was extremely hungry and his inner hunger instincts took over. Armel had purposely withdrawn their rations for the last two days. Misaki tried to reach out for the plate but the raven decided to play dirty.

"Woops," Armel grinned.

The plate of dog food was tossed aside, spilling the edible contents all over the dirty floor.

"It wouldn't be called dog food if it wasn't for dogs. Now be a good pet and crawl your way to eat."

Misaki glanced at the splattered dog food before facing the raven.

'He couldn't expect me to eat off the floor?! Why is he so cruel to me? I hate him so much! Oh Usagi, please save me from this man.'

"Well don't look at me! Go and clean that floor with your mouth!"

With the back of his hands, Misaki wiped away the stream of tears and weakly crawled on his four limbs to the food. His hips were sore, hindering his ability to fully extend and properly stabilize his movement. Armel stared in sadistic pleasure as he watch the boy crawl pathetically for his meal.

Finally Misaki met with the pile of splattered chicken liver. He hesitated at first about the unhygienic exposure but later succumbed to his hunger. Leaning his face down, he opened his mouth and took a small bite out of the unsavory meat with the assistance of his dry tongue. He chewed the meat similar to that of a cow grazing on grass. The taste of the juicy meat was extremely strong, gamey and irony. He had trouble swallowing the disgusting dog food. The brunette noticed a grainy crunchy texture in the meat as he chewed on the next bite. Could it be from the concrete dirt particles from the floor?

"Taste nice my pet? I had a bit of live hard shelled bugs grinded in with your meal. Pretty nice eh?"

"Plehh!" Misaki spat out his half chewed food. He looked down at the spitted contents and saw remnants of black exoskeletons, as well as a twitching antenna. His stomach churned in disgust.

"Don't waste valuable food! You ungrateful little dog!"

Armel placed his right foot on the back of Misaki's head and pressured him down, forcing the boy to eat.

"Nghnnn," the brunette whined in protest.

"You will eat or I'll kill your family!"

"Mmnghnn!" Misaki muffled whines grew louder as he resisted. He sealed his lips shut tight.

Eventually his face was forced right back into the spitted meat mixed with grinded bugs. Misaki sobbed as he resumed back to eating the horrid meal. Armel kept his foot on the brunette's head until he would finish every last piece of meat.

'Oh Usagi, Nii-chan. This is the most revolting food I've ever eaten. Why does this have to happen to me? I'm going to throw up any minute. Save me from this nightmare!'

Gagging reflexes, panting and sobbing muffles were heard simultaneously as he pitifully ate. He tried to swallow as quickly as possible to avoid the taste, at the same time concealing the thoughts of consuming bug guts. The poor brunette felt humiliated and disgraced by this psychological torture. He was stripped from his clothes after being violated and made to enact a submissive dog whose job was to bend to the will of his sick master.

Finally he managed to gobble up most of the dog food off from the floor. Though the hardest part was trying to retain the food within his stomach without throwing up. Sloppy oil and meat residues stained the brunette's lips and the surrounding skin. Armel relaxed his foot away from Misaki's head.

"Good boy. That's how a good pet should act like. Now its time to clean you up."

Without warning the raven extended out his right arm and dragged Misaki across the floor and to the bathroom by his hair.

"Nhyahnnnn!" Misaki wailed in pain. He gripped both of his hands onto Armel's wrist as he was dragged along.

In the bathroom, Armel threw the boy onto the freezing cold shower floor. Misaki grunted before sobbing out loudly again. He shuffled with his lowers legs into the corner and curled himself, shaking, afraid of what might happen next. Armel tossed away the hanging shirts and turned on the shower tap. Misaki flinched and shuddered upon contact with the cold spraying freshwater.

"Woo its pouring, ke ke ke," the raven snickered.

Misaki curled and wrapped his arms around his body to insulate the remaining warmth around his chest. Armel temporarily exited the bathroom.

"Usagiiii," Misaki cried while rocking his body back and forth.

What was Armel going to do to him now?

The raven returned.

"Enjoying the nice shower? It wouldn't be complete without shampoo. I have to clean my pets as well."

Armel removed his long black collar leather coat and black fitted gloves. He tossed the apparel aside on the floor and rolled up both of his sleeves. Misaki panicked majorly when he saw the raven remove his clothes, thinking that the man would hold him against his will again.

"No. No. No NOOO STAY AWAY!" he protested.

"What's wrong with your master shampooing your hair. It's strawberry scented. I am going to thoroughly clean you Misaki."

The raven kneeled beside Misaki. Of course the man was getting partially drenched as well but he didn't care. Sacrificing his comfort was indeed well rewarding especially when it came to Misaki. The brunette curled towards the corner, facing his back towards the raven. His chest tightened as his airways constricted in response to the decreased in body temperature.

"Turn around! You mutt!"

Misaki obeyed his master's command and turned his body around.

"Good boy."

Armel whistled his signature tune as he squeezed the bottle of shampoo onto his left palm. Misaki hated that tune. That distinct whistling was unique to Armel and Misaki would have panic attacks whenever he heard it.

Thick pink viscous liquid was excreted out of the bottle, until Armel was satisfied with the volume. The raven smeared the shampoo all over Misaki's hair and cleaned it with ruffling like motions. Bubbly foams begun to develop as Armel massaged the shampoo into his scalp. Strawberry scent was emitted into air.

"You smell lovely my pet."

Armel grinned, his sadistic mode was now activated. With a blob of foamy shampoo on his right hand, the raven smacked it over Misaki's eyes.

"Arghhh!" the brunette cried.

The shampoo had stung his eyes, causing it to water as it was exposed to an irritating chemical. The brunette shielded his eyes with his arms while trying to clean out the remaining shampoo in his eyes. Armel snickered at the sight and toyed with the boy by threatening to repeat the process.

"Come on Misaki. Lets do it again," the raven teased.

"Nooooo," he whined in protest.

"Come on Misaki."

"No!"

Armel sighed. "Fine then, lets move onto the next cleaning process."

Misaki jerked away from the raven. What did he mean by next process? Misaki's heart sunk, Armel wasn't giving up yet. What torture awaits him now?

The raven turned of the cold shower and kneeled down slightly above the brunette. He grabbed the shampoo bottle nearby and held it with his hand above Misaki's mouth.

"Open wide little Misaki. We're cleaning your insides."

Misaki's eyes widened in fear. He shut his lips sealed tight.

"Aww come on. Be a good pet. Open wide or I'll force it down your throat. Come on it won't kill you."

Misaki disobeyed his master's orders and swayed his head away from the bottle. This angered the raven. He hated it when his pets defied his orders. A quick effective method to get his victims to comply was a quick slap. And that was what Armel did. He raised his left hand and smacked Misaki across the face.

"Ack!"

"Do you want another one dog?!"

Misaki shook his head.

"Good boy. Open wide. Its just a tiny squirt."

Misaki hesitated to open his mouth. His body trembled and shuddered. Armel was growing impatient. He used his left hand to cup Misaki's cheeks and squeezed them before motioning his head upright. The bottle was then squirted above the brunette's mouth. The liquid oozed down in his throat, some escaped and dripped down his lips. Misaki squirmed as he was made to swallow the bitter shampoo.

Was he going to die of poisoning? He begun to hope so. He couldn't handle living his life under Armel's rule for eternity. Misaki closed his eyes, eventually he greedily swallowed the contents.

Armel paused the squeezing and blinked a couple of times in confusion. The boy was resisting at first but now he was demanding for it. The raven knew what Misaki had intended to do.

"You do realise this won't kill you, because only I can do that.

Disappointed by the lack of suffering presented, Armel decided to tone up the level of violence.

"Well we've cleaned one end. Its time for the other end," he smirked sinisterly.

Misaki jumped and wailed while using his arms to push away the raven.

'What did he mean by other end? Don't tell me he is going to do something indecent to my body again?! Usagi! Nii-chan! Not again!'

Armel grinned widely. "Now that's more like it. Oh how I love to see you cry like that. So dramatic Misaki."

Misaki's heart pounded like it was about to burst out of his chest. He watched in horror as the raven squeezed the shampoo onto his right fingers. Immense fear and panic overpowered his conscience and the boy tried to flee from Armel despite how hurt he was.

"Where the hell do you think your going!"

Armel quickly latched on Misaki's arm and pulled him back down with all his strength.

"Noooo! Let me go!"

"Come on Misaki. Just a couple of fingers won't hurt!"

The frightened brunette was pulled and pinned down onto the wet bathroom floor. Armel had positioned him with his back towards the ceiling. Misaki felt vulnerable, weak and helpless. The raven kept his hand down on Misaki's head to immobilize him.

Finally Armel begun to commit his sick torture. He forcefully slid the shampoo lubricated fingers into Misaki.

"ARGGHHH!" the brunette screamed on the top of his lungs. Misaki's legs and body twitched, trembled and shuddered violently. The shampoo stung inside the already damaged area which felt like a flame was burning within his canal. He moved his hips hoping to free himself but it only caused him more pain.

Armel smiled at the sight of his suffering brunette. He loved it, every scream was like a healing to his tragic past.

"Argghhh…(chokes)…plea—ease stop. Usargi…"

"You really do care about Akihiko don't you. I wonder if your brother knows about your relationship? Does he?"

"Nghhh," Misaki whimpered. His face was again covered in tears.

"Don't worry Misaki. Tomorrow we'll give your brother a call. Lets update him on how your going. I'm sure he'd love to hear your voice."

"Niichann…"

* * *

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Next chapter will be slow due to major university examination.

Love OWLSIES


	14. Chapter 14 Find Me

Disclaimer: I do not own Junjou Romantica

Sorry guys, mind if the language or if there are any errors. I have too many exams to worry about. I'll get back to you guys later and edit this chapter later if I feel like it.

 **WARNING**!: This chapter contains non-explicit non-consensual, torture scenes.

* * *

 **{~0~}**

 **Find Me**

During Armel's meeting.

"LEFT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN LEFT?!" the raven slammed his fist on the exquisite wooden table. His eyebrows furrowed, dissatisfied with the news.

"I'm sorry its not my fault boss," the queer manager defended as he legs trembled in fear. "They didn't like the designs and chorography choice that's all."

"DON'T LIKE?! Aude that bitch must be luring them away to her casino. Is it that really of a big deal without Carlita?!"

"Well yes. Even Frank's customers are heading over the border for entertainment. Aude's stealing them all."

"Shit. Fine. I'll bring her back. But her assistant's dead. Hmmmm," the raven placed his hand under his chin as he thought. "Who should I send that may be of use."

And that was when Shinobu came to his mind.

"I'll have Carlita and Shinobu sent here as soon as possible. You have two weeks to bring me back my customers or I'll have your head! Is that understood?"

"Y—yes boss."

Later that evening.

Shinobu was pushed into the back seat of a black SUV after Don forced him wear the clothes Armel had selected. The raven really had a taste for European designs.

"Oi stop! Where are you taking me?!"

No matter how much he tried to fight back, he knew he wouldn't succeed. His heart raced, no information had been given to him on where these people were taking him. He tried to open the car door to exit but it was set on child lock. Not long later a brunette female obediently entered the backseat as well. Shinobu thought he had seen this woman from somewhere before. Her face was battered swollen, lips busted, hair frizzy and skin covered in purple-black bruises. Her face barely unrecognizable through all the damage that had been done on her.

Shinobu stared at her in sympathetic curiosity. A tick behind his skull was telling him something. He dug deeply into his memory cortex before finally the ticking clicked. He remembered. This was the woman who had managed to escape. Yes, he gritted in triumph, an access to a viable source of knowledge to help them escaped from this dreadful place.

"Um do you know where we're going?" Shinobu asked the brunette in English.

She turned her head slowly to meet his gaze. "The Halyardir Casino." Her voice appeared weak and monotone like energy had been drained out from her life source. Luckily she understood what he said otherwise questioning her would be useless.

"Ca—ca—Casino?! Why are we going there for?!"

"You'll see."

Misaki's laid sprawled out on the wet bathroom floor, faintly sniffling with his eyes closed. Armel leaned against the bathroom wall with his legs spread out in a relaxed position. He smoked his cigarette, puffing out smoke while ruffling through Misaki's drenched hair. Smirking down, Armel decided to shape the brunette's hair into dog ears by pulling and pinching his strands, forming two spiked bundles.

"You know Misaki if I had Fuyuhiko's personal number, I would call him instead of your brother. But I guess that could wait. You still curious to why I hate the Usamis?"

No verbal response came from Misaki, but he did raise his head weakly like his neck was about to snap. Clearly he wanted a definite explanation to why he was being victimized by Armel. Having his life and self image torn apart was poisoning his internal white light. Eventually his world would be devoid of all happiness. It was already happening, he had no faith that his lover or brother would ever find him and if they did, would he be alive to witness his rescue?

Again cursing his pitiful tragic life, he wanted to descend freely from this world. Akihiko could easily move on with his charismatic appeal. His brother had a family, hence they could both erase him from their lives without too much loss to bear. His friends weren't even real, sure they had enjoyable times but to consider someone your "real" friend was difficult.

"Well you seem interested. I'll tell you a bedtime story my wonderful pet. Let us bond tonight for you and Shinobu are mine."

"Mmmnnn nooo…" Misaki whined.

"Come on Misaki. Lets get you warm, don't want you to catch a cold."

The raven pulled Misaki's body up before turning it around to pick him up bridal style. He felt too tired to resist, he needed warmth. Armel carried the brunette to his private quarters. He placed Misaki upright on the couch. Pained whimpers were heard when the raven made plopped the boy on the couch. Armel patted his head.

"Be a good boy while I light my fireplace."

Armel proceeded to lighting his chimney while Misaki squirmed in discomfort. Now with the fire burning, golden orange lights illuminated the room, creating an atmosphere of serene relaxation. Though despite how the room felt, having the presence of Armel nearby was like having a snowy blizzard brewing for eternity.

The raven picked up a nearby wool black robe on his lounge and wrapped it around Misaki. He then slumped down beside Misaki, their shoulders in close contact. His arm motioned around to Misaki's other shoulder, bringing him intimately closer to his neck. The brunette shut his eyes, praying that this undesirable embracing would end. With his other free hand, Armel caressed Misaki's cheeks back and forth.

"Let me tell you a tragic story Misaki…"

After forty minutes of driving through endless straight roads, and turning past through a few villages, they arrived at a mansion similar to Armel's. Another secluded sandstone rectangular shaped one too. The ride had been a silent one. What was he expected to say? Especially in front of Don, Armel's most loyal guard dog.

Once the car stopped they were escorted via the back door and downstairs to a basement room. On the way they were approached by gothic man in a purple fitted suit. He had a sassy demeanor to his body language. He shrilled in excitement upon seeing the two.

"Ahhh! Carlita my gorgeous your back. Oh my goodness girl, you look terrible. Oh I missed you so much!" The man hugged the woman with delighted grin on his face. Her posture remained stiff, impassive to the man. "Carlita! We have a lot of work to do. Armel is going to have my neck if we don't get the customers back. Oh is that your new assistant?" he turned to Shinobu.

Carlita nodded.

"Well hello little one. Your pretty young to be here. My name is Rom Guiardo. I'm the entertainment manager of this casino. What is your name by the way?"

Shinobu looked at him in confusion. He couldn't understand what the man was saying.

"Do you speak Italian little one?"

Another confused look was shot at the man.

"Italian?" he asked Shinobu. "English?"

Finally Shinobu nodded.

"Oh that's good, do you understand me now?"

"Yes," Shinobu replied in English.

"Yay, what's your name little one?"

"Shinobu."

"Well Shinobu my name is Rom Guiardo. I'm the entertainment manager once again."

"What am I here for?" the blond spoke sternly.

"Armel didn't tell you? Well your helping Carlita with our show designs relating to clothes that's all. But we got two weeks to save my neck. So I'm counting on you both. So lets go! Times ticking!" Rom grabbed onto both of their wrists and hurriedly guided them into a room.

Inside the room was filled with colorful garments and various colors of cloth materials stacked within the shelves. A large table was set in the middle and on the right hand side was a sewing machine.

"Well you two get cracking. We have a main event in two weeks. The theme is blue seas. Armel has re-invited those customers. If we lose them due to disinterest. I'm a dead man so please Carlita, Shinobu. Don't fail me. If you need anything such as refreshments let me know. So settle in I'll be right back with some coffee and sandwiches."

Rom left the room, some of Armel's guards remained stationed outside the door. Escaping was not an option here. Carlita moved to the drawers to remove a pencil and paper. She then begun to draw on a desk by the sewing machine. Shinobu was left perplexed on the sudden change of atmosphere. This morning he was imprisoned in a cell now he was stuck in a fashion designing basement with a woman. Unsure what to do, he quietly approached her.

"Umm, is there anything you need help with? Your name is Carlita right?" he asked softly.

The woman continued to draw without answering back. Looking down, Shinobu could see her designing a dress on a female figure. The room was quiet, only the sound of lead rubbing against the white paper was heard.

"Were you the one who managed to escape?"

Her drawing speed increased at the question but still no reply came from her.

"Me and my friend saw you, the time when Armel dragged you away. How did you manage to—."

"Look here kid! You're here to do your job. So do it. As my assistant keep your mouth shut and go away. I've had quite enough of my own problems to worry about than yours." Her scolded harshly.

Shinobu backed away slowly at the unexpected snappy response. He felt bad for bringing up a topic that seemed to have stressed her out. With nothing else to say, he withdrew from her side to explore the room. He curiously touched the colored sheets, the scarfs, wool balls and the clothed mannequins. Scissors and pins were accessible in front of him. They could even be used as weapons. An idea flicked into his head. Maybe he could hide a few of them in his pants or pockets. They might come in hand later in the future.

Not long after he had finished roaming around, Rom entered the room with a tray of triangular sliced chicken avocado sandwiches and hot coffee. "I got some food. Eat up. You need the energy." He placed the tray on the table. "Come Shinobu eat something," Rom called over.

Shinobu eyed the sandwiches as he headed over. He was craving for proper food. The palatable sight of fresh white chicken meat, green avocado and soft grainy bread had him salivating. Rom passed the plate to Shinobu.

"Here you go."

The blond immediately picked up the sandwich and bit into the soft crust. As he took another bite, Misaki came into his mind. His chewing motion slowed down after realizing Misaki's situation. Here he was snacking on sandwiches and hot coffee while Misaki was being tormented by Armel. A sense of guilt fluttered his stomach. Though at the same time he felt determined since Carlita, their only source of knowledge to escape was here. He has two weeks to retrieve that vital information off from her. And he'll make sure that woman will talk, whether she liked it or not.

The bed creaked violently as the bed shook with every thrust that was pounded into Misaki's body. Chains jingled along with his shuddering body. High pitch wails and weakened sobs filled the room once again. Armel continued what he had intended to finish this morning.

After revealing Misaki his past, a heated flashback was brought out and the raven had taken out his anger against him. Now with Misaki knowing the truth, he wished he had never met Usagi. He should off studied, maybe he wouldn't suffer this fate. It wasn't his fault, it was Fuyuhiko's. Now he had to be casted into the middle of this, worst of all he was innocent.

Armel moaned in aroused pleasure after climaxing. He finally concluded the day with success. Misaki had not fainted. But he was close to after losing so much blood. It had only been two days worth of torture and his body was already breaking down. How long was he going to survive for?

"Misaki. Oh Misaki. Are you asleep? Hm. You will need your energy tomorrow. Good night my little pet."

[~¥~]

( 8:42 PM Italy: 4:42 AM Japan)

Stray feral dogs scurried the empty streets of the cold night. Presence of human activity had been quiescent at this very late hour. Loose sheets of newspapers containing photos of the missing victims blew across the roads and into the side of the stagnant gutter.

Manami groggily patted for her husband but the only person she felt by her side was Mahiro. The toddler had his foot lethargically resting on her neck. No wonder she woke up gasping for air. Looking over to Takahiro's side of the bed, her husband was nowhere to be seen. Concerned about his well-being, she crept quietly as a mouse out of the bed and downstairs to check on him.

There was Takahiro and Akihiko, both asleep with their limbs spread apart in various angles on the couch. Takahiro laid with his face partially buried while Akihiko had one half of his leg hanging off from the edge of the couch. Manami sighed in worriment after seeing the empty bottles of whiskey, beer cans and vodka shots on the coffee table and floor. Whatever happened that night must have been serious for them to drink this much.

Worried that the two might contract an airborne flu from the cold, Manami went in search for warm blankets and pillows. Now where would they be? It took the woman ten minutes just to find them after discovering rooms filled with Akihiko's toy collection or living organisms (Moss balls and Eels). She wondered how Misaki was able to live with this man.

Returning back with the items, she adjusted the men into a proper resting position. She propped the pillow under their heads and then placed the thin blankets over their bodies. Manami pecked her husband's forehead with her lips. She then decided to clean up their mess for a bit before heading back to bed.

Several hours later, it was officially 9 am and the two were still asleep under the influence of alcohol. Manami was already awake with her son but they were in the bathroom upstairs. Mahiro was receiving his usually morning hygiene cleanse consisting of a bubble bath.

Knocks were heard at the front door but no one answered for the two men were in deep sleep and Manami was upstairs. A buzz noise rung through the intercom. Still no one replied or opened the door for the guests.

"Do you think they're still in bed?" Fuyuhiko asked his elder son.

"Hm. He is a lazy author. I'll give him call. Darn idiot should know that we already told him we were coming."

While Haruhiko called Akihiko's cellphone, the group outside the front door waited patiently. Tadao didn't get that much rest last night after delegating orders to his men and maintaining security protocols. Adding Akihiko's security to the list added another responsibility for him. But he didn't mind, he missed the detective work he once did but then decided to work for the Usamis after his partner in crime was killed. The black haired guard took a sip out of his morning cappuccino.

"Come on Akihiko pick up."

Inside the apartment, Akihiko's cellphone rung in his trouser pocket, which he forgot to remove. He groaned and turned his body sideways, crushing and muffling the ringing tone.

Haruhiko called again.

Still no answered.

Fuyuhiko became anxious when Akihiko didn't pick up or reply. Vivid images of his son murdered in his own home by underlings flocked his mind. And that was when he panicked.

"Tadao, get your men ready to knock down the door if no one answers. I'm worried that something might of happened to them."

"Yes sir."

"Don't be so drastic with your decisions. I'm calling his home phone." Haruhiko said.

The home phone rung. The two men groaned in their sleep. Eventually Akihiko rolled off from the couch by accident.

"Ompff!"

His conscious was fuzzy as he awoke. A massive heavy headache radiated around his temple when he moved slowly upright. The phone ringing him during this early hour started to piss him off. Grouching under his breath he unsteadily rose from his spot, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

The ringing ceased before he could even pick it up. Who would call him during this time?

Aikawa? Isaka? Takahiro? No Takahiro was here.

Having a hangover really sure affected his thinking. Trying to recall what he was informed last night, Akihiko suddenly remembered. His family and the Usami bodyguards were coming. He quickly patted his pockets and took out his cell phone. And there it was miss calls from Haruhiko. Are they outside his apartment right now?

"No one is picking up," Haruhiko said.

"Tadao you know what to do," Fuyuhiko ordered.

"Are you sure sir?"

"Do it. We need to know if they're safe. Especially Akihiko."

"Okay. Cheng and Asuka you two are up."

"Yes sir," they both responded at the same time.

The two loyal bodyguards chosen by Tadao and approved by Fuyuhiko stood in front of the door. They raised their legs, ready to karate kick down the door. These guards were highly trained professionals in the field of martial arts and firearms.

As they were about to assault down the door, a zombie Akihiko opened the door, his bloodshot violet eyes widened. The guards froze with their legs bent mid air. Everyone standing outside was just as shocked as Akihiko. The guards lowered their legs and bowed to their superior before standing aside.

"What the hell is going on?" Akihiko grumbled.

"Akihiko. Your alive. Thank goodness," the old man sighed in relief.

"About time you answer moron. I called you multiple times."

Haruhiko and his father approached closer to Akihiko. "We're here with the guards assigned to you. They—. You have been drinking haven't you? You reek of alcohol," Haruhiko noticed.

"Akihiko, you know drinking is a bad for your health," his father said.

"I don't need your concern. Both of you. Just come in already. I have a massive migraine."

"And whose fault was that."

Akihiko shot a glare at his brother.

"Enough both of you. We have other problems to worry about."

Their father was right. Fighting each other wouldn't solve anything. Everybody entered the apartment. The guards carried in their large black suitcases containing the security items needed.

"Tadao will have his men set up the security measures in your home while me, father and Tadao head off to work.

"I'm surprised your still standing Akihiko." Fuyuhiko noticed the amount of alcoholic bottles on the short legged table. "And is that Misaki's older brother sleeping over there?"

Akihiko grunted a yes. Takahiro laid limp on the couch unaware of the activity happening around him. Tadao approached Akihiko.

"Akihiko sir. I'd like you to meet your new bodyguards; Cheng and Asuka." Tadao indicated his arms to the two bodyguards. They bowed once more again and introduced themselves. All Usami guards looked the same. They would all wear black suits and shades since it was mandatory. Akihiko acknowledge the two, before allowing them to set up the installations.

"Well we'll be heading off the work now. Akihiko we may see you again tonight. Depends if Tadao is able to receive any information from his contacts in the bureau," his father said.

"Is your contact searching for Armel's records?"

"Yes sir. All records and background checks shouldn't take that long. But to get hold of his current location can be hard, if he lives overseas. If I can find anything interesting I'll inform you straight away," Tadao replied.

"Thank you."

With that all sorted out, everybody headed off to their duties. The apartment had cameras inserted into the corners of each room. While Takahiro slept through the installations, Akihiko was briefed by Asuka on the new security protocols. Emergency buttons and phone apps were also given incase they needed to contact them straight away.

After that, their job was simple.

To guard the front door. Though they'll have occasional swap between shifts and breaks as well.

Few hours later Takahiro had woken up to find that Akihiko had already left the apartment to visit the university. Manami was in the kitchen preparing a late lunch for her husband while Mahiro indulged himself in bear haven. Takahiro was surprised to find guards stationed outside the apartment. He decided to take a few days off from work to relieve some stress from his head.

(A.N/This area has a cut scene where Akihiko asks Hiroki about Armel. – Too long to write in chapter)

[~¥~]

(12:46 PM Italy: 7:46PM Japan)

Shinobu awoke suddenly when the guard opened the car door and growled belligerently at him. He had been at the casino basement all night. Most of the time he had just helped Carlita cut out ribbons from blue silk sheets. Though there were times he would snooze off to sleep. He had hopelessly failed to interrogate her, thus he'll have to try again later tonight.

Don escorted Shinobu and Carlita back to their cells. To his surprise, Carlita was only opposite to theirs. Once Carlita was locked in her cell, Shinobu was next. He felt nervous when the guard was unlocking the door. He prayed that Misaki remained unharmed. He didn't want to witness another gruesome bloodied body. He gaped his mouth wide open when he stepped inside.

"Misaki?! Where are you?!" he shouted while searching desperately for his friend.

Duct tape bounded Misaki's wrists together behind his back. Armel had made him sit in one of his favorite red leather armchair. His green eyes watered, dripping down slowly against his pale cheeks, for this was the moment he would be tortured greatly. But now it was his brother's turn. He didn't know what Armel had in plan for him or what tortures were waiting for him. Never before had he felt so terrified beyond words. His heart raced, pumping blood out through his body rapidly while bumping hard against his ribcage. He wished he would faint on the spot. That would save him from the need to experience the trauma.

Last night he had been held against his will again. More scars have been carved into him both mentally and physically. Armel cupped his chin lightly and smirked.

"Excited Misaki?"

"Master I'm sorry what happened to you. B—but please I'm innocent," the brunette cried for mercy.

"Misaki. No matter how many times I'll say this. The Usamis adore you. If I see the hurt in them that's all that matters. So let me tell you what I'm planning to do. Do you still remember what I studied when I was your age? I told you last night."

"Pys—ychologyy?" he whimpered out softly.

"Good you have been listening. Now you see the word that had me fascinated during my studies was, depersonalization. You know what that means?" Armel's face turned stern with the hint of sinister purpose behind it. He lowered his hand before sauntering around Misaki while smoking.

Misaki's whimpers transitioned into frightened sobs. "Nooo." He was scared of the definition that was about to be explained to him.

"Depersonalization is when a person does not feel like themselves. They feel numb. They feel disconnected from the real world. This happens when they suffer from post traumatic stress related to abuse or assault or whatever. Other causes are drugs. You see Misaki, my aim right now is to induce as much suffering as possible. That way I can degrade your life to nothing but pain. You won't feel like Misaki. You'll only hear me. You will only know me and you will definitely only. See. Me."

Misaki broke into uncontrollable sobs. Armel was a beast. How could he do this to a human who has feelings? Especially to depersonalize a young man who was just getting his life started. Misaki wanted his life to end right now. He didn't care just as long as Armel couldn't get his iniquitous ways.

Armel inhaled another puff of smoke. "Further more I'll drive you into a manic stage, where your mind will lose control of your normal behavior. Slowly your mind will be degraded into a primitive state. That Misaki is what I intend to do. But I want to induce psychosis into you as well. Which takes time, though drugs do play a key role. Therefore Misaki, I ordered a special batch of a Benzodiazepine just for you. Similar to valium, but this one has had chemical structural modifications done to it. This drug will react directly act on your nerve receptors resulting in a chemical imbalance. You will take these drugs every night, permanently for the rest of your life. Unless you die early of course. Now with that said. Lets call Niichan!"

Carrying the platter carefully to the table, Manami distributed the mugs to Takahiro, Akihiko, Tadao and Fuyuhiko. She then left the lounge room to let the men privately converse.

The dinner table was full of papers containing the records of the evicted victims. A short-list was still currently being developed but Armel had been added to the list along with a few other residents that have threatened Fuyuhiko. The four men surrounded the table and would occasionally sip their tea as they examined the records.

Takahiro would often shoot glaring daggers at Fuyuhiko. He knew what motive the enemy had. To use Misaki as a tormenting item to get back at the Usami Corporations. When Fuyuhiko first entered the apartment, Takahiro was close to strangling the old man in front of everyone. But Akihiko held him back as he tirade the old man with strong verbal insults.

A large white board was placed near the table. Tadao begun to write Armel's name along with a few other residents down on the board. He then asterisked Armel's name with a red marker based on the evidence gathered so far. Akihiko's conversation with Hiroki had been informative on the psychological behavior of Armel. The raven apparently was intelligent and often enjoyed playing board games. Though the most intriguing part was when Hiroki informed Akihiko of the bathroom encounter with Armel that day he unexpectedly swore at the teacher. This was indeed more convincing for a choice of suspect.

"Akihiko, everyone while I gathered these records I managed to get in contact with my friend in the bureau faster than I thought. I think you may find this rather interesting."

The black haired man settled his laptop on the table. Opening the email that was sent to him through a contact, he begun to illiterate the information gathered about their suspect.

"This email contains background checks and everything about your suspect."

He turned the laptop around for the four to view. A background record containing his date of birth, ID and where he lived in Japan was shown. Tadao then scrolled to a newspaper article. Everybody was shocked after reading the headlines.

'Mental woman suicides after losing home'

"The boy's mother killed herself after she fell into depression. The woman was diagnosed with a low grade bipolar, however under stressful conditions she took her life. The boy was then placed in an orphanage. He not only lost his home but also his mother. So there you go. Tragic. A perfect suspect."

"So who adopted the kid? Did his record tell us who the father was?" Akihiko questioned.

"That's the interesting question that got my attention." Tadao scrolled back up to Armel's record. "There is no record of the father and no record on who adopted the kid. And if the kid were to run away, there would be a reference to his disappearance."

"Does the orphanage keep records on who adopted the kid?" Haruhiko asked.

"They should but those records are separate from government records."

"Do you know the orphanage?" Akihiko asked.

"Yes it says here, he was sent to Kuwawa Orphanage."

"That orphanage is only a few minutes drive from here. Do you think you can get your hands on those records?"

"I can try depends on the day I'm available. I have many tasks that I need to balance out with your father as well. Let me check my timetable."

"Me and Akihiko could go," Takahiro suggested.

"They won't just hand over private information to anyone," Haruhiko stated.

"Your brother's right. Although what you need is bribery. I'm sure as a high selling author, you should have no problem in convincing those nannies," Fuyuhiko advised.

"Well we see how it goes tomorrow," Akihiko said as he sipped his tea. "If they don't, we could always sneak in."

"And bring dishonor to your family if you get caught," Fuyuhiko grumbled.

"Or you could just hire someone to steal it," Haruhiko suggested.

"Maybe but it would be good to also question the workers there as well. Since it was such a long time ago, those files may not even be there," Tadao said.

"Leave it to me and Takahiro. Manami and Mahiro should be safe with the guards here."

"I don't want you two to go alone. I'm worried that the enemy may still be watching us."

"It will be broad daylight. You worry too much old man."

"So it's decided then? Tomorrow you two go to the orphanage. I'll take Fuyuhiko to work."

Everyone nodded their heads while Fuyuhiko grunted, indicating a dissatisfied agreement.

"Okay now with that sorted. I have an electronic copy of the records I can do in my spare time but it would be nice if you could also help me go through these records and death threats and match them. That would be great."

"I wouldn't mind it. Just as long as I can find out who did this to Misaki," Akihiko said.

As the others continued their conversation on short-listing, Takahiro's phone rung, disturbing the meeting.

"Wait ! Is it a private number?!" Akihiko rushed to Takahiro.

"I don't know. Let me check."

Takahiro removed the phone from his pocket and flipped up the cover. "Akihiko! The call is private!" he panicked as he showed the private caller ID to Akihiko.

"Fuck!"

"What do I do?!"

"Put it on loudspeaker. Let me talk to him. Tadao get your tracking program now! Father your reasoning with this man as well!"

"Yes sir!" Tadao rushed to gather his equipment. Haruhiko assisted him.

Fuyuhiko felt his heart drop. Surely he wanted to protect his sons but last night was the heat of the moment. How was he going to face his enemy? He didn't want to give the enemy a weak impression of himself.

Takahiro's hand trembled as he held the phone. Akihiko told him everything about what happened last night. Worst of all, the enemy possessed his personal information. He feared on what he might hear on the other side. Finally he answered the phone on loudspeaker mode.

"Hello?"

["Konichuwa! How are you doing Nii-Charrrnnn? Want to say hello to Misaki?"]

"Quick the phone," Tadao whispered to Takahiro.

The phone was connected to the laptop as usually, with the small one on the side again. The phone was then placed on the table.

"Oi you little shit. Don't you dare think your getting away with this!"

["Ah Akihiko. Interesting. Your with your brother-in-law I see. Very interesting."]

"Give me back my little brother you bastard!"

["Nii-chan! Help me!"]

"Misaki? Its me what happening over there? What's that man going to do to you? Oh Misaki I missed you so much."

["Nii-chan…Usagi…I love you."]

"Misaki I love you too. I'm sorry I didn't take care of you properly. I'm sorry," Takahiro cried.

["Niichan, Usagi please hang up. Leave me and move on. I'm sorry for causing you trouble. Please leave me!"]

"No Misaki! We are not going to abandon you. We are going to find you. Just hang in there," Akihiko assured.

Misaki could be heard crying at the other side. Akihiko took the phone closer to his face from the table. If he was going to find the suspect why not short-list now.

"Listen hear you worthless coward. I want to guess your real identity. And if I do, promise you won't hurt him again."

["Pfft promises are for pussies. What are you? Thirteen? Come on. I'm a super badass villain here. Besides I defiled him again last night. Jealous?"]

Akihiko grinded his teeth while at the same time clenching his fists. One day Akihiko will have his revenge for what he did to Misaki, and it won't be pleasant. Takahiro froze, eyes wide open after hearing that his little brother was violated again. Never in a million years would he think Misaki would unfortunately fall prey into the hands of a predator.

["But do have a guess Akihiko. Lets see how inquisitive you are with all the evidence I've given you so far."]

Misaki on the other side wanted to scream out his captors name but fear kept him silent for the moment.

Everybody glanced at each other before nodding to agree with their choice of suspect. A long pause awaited while nervous anticipation had them hoping that this was their guy.

"…Armel Yamano."

The raven froze. How did they know? A smile of hope lifted on Misaki's face. Usagi knows who has him. Will he be saved? A small spark of hope was reignited in his heart. His lover managed to predict his captor. Armel paused for awhile to think before answering.

["What makes you think I am Armel?"]

"Because the only obvious fucker who resents my father is you."

["…you have guessed corrected. Well done detective."]

Everybody's eyes lit in shocking surprise. They found the identity of the man responsible for harming Misaki. Now it was up to locating where the guy was. A cold sweat dripped from Fuyuhiko's forehead while a sense of extreme guilt rushed into him. This Armel kid was carrying out his revenge, all because of him. If only he could turn back in time to prevent this from happening.

"It's Armel! It's Armel Usagiii! We're in Ita— ack."

"Shut up you pathetic dog!" Armel had slapped Misaki across the face for his unapproved outburst. "Open your mouth again and I'll punish you dearly!"

Back at the apartment. Akihiko and Takahiro jerked at the hard slap that could be heard through the phone.

"ARMEL!" Akihiko roared. "Lay another hand on him and I'll kill you! I heard what Misaki said. Your in Italy. Don't think just because your over there doesn't me—."

[*smack "Ahh, enghhrnn."]

An unexpected slap was heard followed by Misaki's sobbing whines.

["What was that? Come again Akihiko. I couldn't hear you."]

"You ungrateful piece of shit. LISTEN HE—!"

[*smack "Arghnnnnnn."]

"Stop hitting my brother you sadistic beast!"

[*smack *smack *smack]

"STOP HITTING HIM!" Akihiko and Takahiro shouted simultaneously.

Meanwhile Misaki was getting beaten, Tadao tried his hardest to access the hidden signal like before. Haruhiko could only sympathetically watch and listen. It did pain him to hear Misaki suffer, especially when he still had some feelings for him. Fuyuhiko's gut wrenched with every slap. Should he intervene? If so, would that stop him from hurting Misaki?

Red and purple shades was seen on his pale face where Armel had physically abused him. Misaki panted for air, almost resembling to a fish stranded on land. His head laid resting on the arm chair, dizzy from the attack. Red fluid oozed from the corners of his lips as well as his nostrils. These slaps weren't weak, they were powerful, similar to a punch but more blunt with a larger palm span. Satisfied by the assault, it was back to the conversation.

["Wow he bleeds easily. Hehehe. He's bleeding Akihiko.…Akihiko?"]

"Armel…I will find you. And if I do. You'll be sorry," Akihiko gritted coldly with vengeful determination.

["Well do come visit me. Anytime Akihiko. So I could hack off your head myself and send it to your father. Speaking of him, is he here with you now?"]

"I am here!" Fuyuhiko growled. "You dare threaten my son again and use someone innocent to carry out your revenge. How low can you get?!"

["Usamis. You're here all of you? Excellent. I'm excited! Wouldn't expect Takahiro to have such great companions. And by the way Fuyuhiko, you and I aren't so different. We both hurt and ruin other people's lives to get what we want. Isn't that right?"]

"Usagi-chichi?" Misaki mumbled weakly under his breath when he heard Fuyuhiko's voice.

Fuyuhiko sighed deeply. "Armel I'm sorry about your home and your mother. That was in the past. I was greedy, selfish and heartless back then, but please leave Misaki out of this. He doesn't need to brought into something that is between you and me. So please tell me what you want. If its your land. I'm sorry I can't do much since the shopping complex is sitting on top of it. But I can compensate for the loss and pay for the damages I have caused you."

["You don't get it do you. Money can't bring people back from the dead nor can it bury the past. You know how much you've torn my life?! I was left in an orphanage, belonging to no one! I don't need your money! I've got my own. And with Misaki's case. I can do whatever I want to him. He was sold to me. Me! I own him! So you can shove your money back down your goddamn throat. I'll have your head once I'm ready! You just wait!"]

"Armel! You do not own Misaki! And do you honestly think you can stand against the Usami. I don't know where you got your money from. But it sure does sound like you've been in some sort of gang to obtain that much. Japan is our territory so back off!" the old man chided.

["Well Italy is mine! So back off Usami!"]

"You back away especially with your annoying pathetic underlings!"

["You back away with your attempted hacking into my signal!"]

"You're a fucking coward!" Akihiko shouted.

"Why are you hiding behind a private line if you think your so powerful?! Your scared of the Usamis aren't you?!" Takahiro argued.

"Valid point Takahiro," Akihiko agreed.

"And why are you scared of revealing your location?" Haruhiko joined.

["Because it will ruin the fun shitheads! I'm more powerful than you think. Look here if you managed to figure out my identity why don't you investigate further! Let me give you clue. Find out the identity of my father and everything will be clear to you. So run along you detective dogs."]

"Why are you hiding your face as well?! Are you scared that we might find you? You weak piece of shit!" Akihiko scoffed.

["Don't anger him Usargiii!"] Misaki cried out croakily in the background.

"Misaki?!" Akihiko was astonished to hear that Misaki was still conscious.

["Woops Misaki your awake. Did you hear that Akihiko. Don't anger me because I'll take it out on him. And he knows it. You want to see my face. I'll let you people see it then. In approximately thirty minutes from now, there will be a video call directed to your laptop using your email Akihiko. See you then. I'm sure you all will be eager to see Misaki. You better be online or you'll miss your chance to see him. Thirty minutes and I mean it."]

The phone line ended.

"Noooo," Tadao howled. "I almost had the signal. Damn!"

Everybody stood in disquieted silence, slowly taking in what just happened.

"Well, now we know who the culprit is. No need for these short-lists." Haruhiko broke the emotional silence, hoping to shed some light in this dark time.

"Tadao can you track an online video call?" Fuyuhiko asked.

Tadao sighed deeply. "I'll try my hardest but video calls are difficult to crack. Compared to a phone call, where the connection uses satellite signals, the internet uses an open web. It's hard to explain but with the internet, the other party can hide behind the deep dark web. We are vulnerable to heavy cyber attacks and implantation of viruses. So best to use a sacrificial laptop so they won't have access to your private information. Luckily I brought a spare one."

"Get it started as soon as possible Tadao," Akihiko ordered. A raging flame was brewing within him, waiting to explode if provoke out of its confinement.

"Yes sir."

Over at Armels's mansion.

"Great news Misaki. Your going to see your loved ones."

Armel grinned malevolently when he snap shut his modified cell phone. Misaki's lowered his head as he wept. He knew what the raven's objective was, it was obvious to predict. It was torture of course. He may not know what type, but he knew the psychopath was going to harm him while his loved ones watched grievously. His time for tribulation awaits.

"Follow me Misaki."

Armel grabbed his upper arm and pulled him up. Misaki tugged in defiance but the raven growled menacingly at him. Eventually the brunette was dragged by force back down to his cell. Shinobu instantly shot up from where he laid on the mattress.

"Misaki!"

The blond rushed to Misaki's side after Armel pushed him back into the cell and onto the concrete floor.

"I'll be back. Behave my pets."

Armel left. Shinubo help support Misaki's body up.

"Misaki are you okay? What did Armel do to you this time? Let me remove this tape for you." Shinobu proceeded to tear and unbound the tape from around Misaki's wrists.

"Shinobu," Misaki rasped out quietly.

"Yes? Hang on almost done Misaki. Yup there you go." Misaki was free from his binds. The brunette tiredly rested his body against Shinobu's chest. His fists gripped tightly onto the blond's white sleeves, desperate for solace. Shinobu wrapped his arms around the trembling brunette. He noticed Misaki's face was severely bruised and swollen to one side, his wrists darkened more than the previous day. A sympathetic tear escaped from his grey eyes. Misaki's condition was deteriorating dramatically.

"Shinobu. He's going to hurt me again. He's going to…hurt…me. I'm scared," he cried softly in Shinobu's arms. "I'm really scared."

"Misaki. I'll try my hardest to protect you, I promise. Even if I don't succeed I'll always be here by your side. Your not alone, we're in this together. Remember I won't leave you behind. Its okay to cry Misaki. I'm here." Shinobu gently held his friend, rocking his body back and forth, slowly soothing his nerves down.

"Shhhh Misaki breathe. I've got some good news. Do you remember the girl who managed to escape but got caught?" Misaki nodded, his hair rustled against Shinobu's neck. "Well yesterday when they took me I was assigned as her assistant for fashion designing. I'm going to take this chance to obtain the information we need from her. Misaki we're going to escape and I mean it." Shinobu placed his hands on Misaki's cheeks, positioning his head to face his grey eyes. "Misaki I'm going to get us out of here. We will escape from this hellish nightmare. I promise," he spoke with courage.

A tear fell from his emerald orbs. Shinobu's words were like a light of hope in the empty darkness. Like a dying heart resuscitated to life, Misaki could see the smiles of his family; Takahiro, Mahiro. He could see vivid images of Akihiko's childlike behavior with Suzuki, Aikawa's berating, Haruhiko's gifts, Sumi, Todo, angry Kamijou-sensei. The simplest things in life. Never so much had he missed the normalcy. His lip curved into a partial smile at the imaginable feeling of freedom.

Shinobu's eyes started to water as well. They needed each other's company to fight on. "Oh Misaki," he cried and embraced the brunette. Misaki also hugged his friend back. Together they cried in each others arm.

"No matter what happens Misaki. Stay strong because we're not staying in this place forever. Once we're far away, we'll call the Usami's and he'll come and rescue us."

[~¥~]

Laptops have been set up. One for the webcam conversation, one for hacking and one for recording. Tadao had one of the most stressful job; to locate Misaki while undergoing a cyberwarfare with the other party at the same time. A stash of pocky snacks and peach ice tea laid by his side. These snacks were his vital source of energy. Takahiro had warned his wife to remain in the room with her son since the content they were about to see could be graphical and disturbing. Indeed with Armel, it would have to be bloody. Akihiko paced around the room, anxious and nervous at the same time to see Misaki and face his enemy. He would frequently check his watch, counting down each minute that passed. His mood visibly agitated with impatience. Fuyuhiko and Haruhiko lightly conversed about their work schedule for tomorrow while they waited. Everybody was distressed. What did their culprit look like? They knew his goal was to seek revenge against the Usamis. But what was he going to do in front of the webcam?

Armel whistled out his haunting tune as he set up the tripod stand with the high definition camera on top. The device was linked to a laptop that was placed on top of a plastic portable table. Don helped carry in the items and assisted his boss with the setup. Shinobu and Misaki huddled together in the corner of their cell, both were extremely frightened. The video chat was going to be conducted in this very room.

The raven was dressed in a black high collar leather jacket that draped past his knees. His fitted custom boots were also black and he even wore black shiny gloves. Everything he wore was black, almost resembling a vampiric gothic like fashion. It did suit him quite well, black just like his soul. His raven shaded hair was slick back with a couple locks hanging off on the front of his face. Any woman who saw this handsome man would faint over the sight of the superficial beauty. Never would they ever know that Armel was merely a twisted evil demon living within the skin of a human being.

Armel glanced at the time on the computer screen that was in the corner of the room by the door. Five more minutes left till they'll video call Akihiko. Don stood by this laptop. His job was maintain control in case the two got out of control. The camera was positioned by the door so that it had a full view of the room. A black bag containing unknown items was placed in the corner by Don's foot. Dulio had been ordered to remain in the secured computer room. A fresh supply of hot chocolate and cookies had been sent to him, ready for consumption when needed. It was one versus one war with Tadao.

"Hey Misaki! You excited? I am."

Misaki shook his head and curled himself further into Shinobu's chest. The blond shot a glare of hatred to his master. The raven only smirked back. He needed to punish his dirty blond kitten. So why not now. He loved it when they crawled into each others arm for desiring comfort and security. It was an adorable sight that Armel wanted to destroy.

"This is lovely isn't it? My naughty puppy and ferocious kitten." Armel kneeled down by the two. He raised his hand, ready to caress Misaki's cheeks but paused when the two hurriedly shuffled further into the corner. "Come here both of you," he toyed.

"Don't touch us!" Shinobu hissed.

"Oh and the kitten claws back. Ouch. I'll sure teach you both a lesson of obedience. Oh by the way Shinobu how was your first shift with Carlita. Did you know she used to be my favorite before she left me. She was lets just say—."

"Boss its time," Don informed.

"Start the call. Well our conversation will have to resume later Shinobu." Armel rose back up before moving to the center of the room. He adjusted his jacket and brushed up any imperfections.

This was it. Don swiveled the laptop around for everyone in front of the camera to see.

"Call incoming!" Tadao shouted out.

Akihiko and the others scrambled to the computer. Only Akihiko would be in the view, the others stood to the side but could still see. Their hearts raced upon seeing the incoming call.

"Now Akihiko remember. Our goal is to try to get a location. Do not encourage the enemy. That's what he wants. To get back at you. Remember show no weakness to him," Tadao instructed.

"Got it."

Akihiko answered. A screen popped up displaying Armel in the middle of the room smirking. He noticed Misaki with a blond male whom reminded him of someone he once saw before. Nonetheless being able to see Misaki was all that mattered to Akihiko.

"Misaki!" Akihiko cried frantically. His heart fell into relief after seeing that his lover was still alive. But anger soon took over when he saw how battered and skinny Misaki was. Even worse the boy was left humiliated, naked, with no clothes.

"Misaki," Takahiro muttered lightly under his voice. His little brother, he could finally see him. A hard lump was felt when he dryly swallowed. His eyes started to water lightly after seeing Misaki's dreadful condition.

"Usagii!" Misaki cried. He could finally see his older lover on the laptop screen. Oh how he missed him so much.

"Misaki! Is that the first thing you recognize when you go on a video chat with your enemy," Armel complained.

Everybody now shifted their attention to the raven. Akihiko had a stern look to his face as he eyed his enemy in black. He immediately recognized those intimidating sky blue eyes. The boy he remembered when he was little had now grown up a lot. The once little shy boy, now a sadistic madman.

"So where are the others Akihiko? Are they looking? Especially Fuyuhiko?"

"Leave them out its just me."

"So acting bold now are we? Well since we're all here, lets play game, now that I have your attention. But the players are Misaki and Shinobu. The game I'll be playing is called Whip the Guinea Pig. It's a stupid title I know. I made it up. You are to choose which boy remains conscious for the longest. If you win Misaki will be unharmed for three days. If you lose, I'll have nails hammered into his feet. Sounds fun? Now choose who will survive the longest."

Misaki and Shinobu curled and cuddled each other tighter. What sort of twisted cruel game was this? It was inhumane.

Akihiko eyes lit in unbelievable terror. He slammed his fist on the table. "What sort of barbaric game is this?! Are you that sick?! I choose none! They're innocent!"

"If you won't choose. I will. Any second thoughts? We're talking about nails Akihiko. Big long ones hammered straight into his flesh."

"F—Fine I choose the blond one. I'm sorry Misaki. I love you." Akihiko sighed deeply, obviously he appeared more healthier than Misaki. He would survive longer. He felt guilty for not having faith in Misaki and his ability to withstand the game.

"Wise choice. Don pass me the whip," he spoke in Italian.

"Yes boss."

Don unzipped the black bag from the corner. The pair squirmed and whimpered. "Shh you two," Armel warned.

Akihiko clenched his fists. He wanted to punch that man in the face right now. Takahiro's throat felt dry as he tried to hold back the river of tears. Tadao was still waring with Dulio in cyber battles. Code vs code. Keyboard vs keyboard. One attacking, one defending.

Finally Don removed the whip and passed it to Armel. Everybody in the other side including the pair jerked at the sight of the horrifying metal whip. Like literally the whip was made from sections of weaved steel. The pair broke into tears immediately after seeing the deadly weapon.

"WHAT SORT OF CRUEL TORTURE IS THIS?! A FUCKING METAL WHIP?! STOP THIS BRUTALITY!" Akihiko vociferated on the top of his lungs.

"STOP DON'T HURT THEM PLEASE! DON'T USE THAT ON THEM!" Takahiro begged out loudly.

"What its just a whip," the raven shrugged innocently. "I got some metal shears in the bag if you want me to use that instead. Let me replace it."

"NOOOO!" everyone including the boys screamed out together.

The raven grinned cheekily at the response. "So do you prefer the whip or shears? I got some acid vial sprays in there also."

"NONE!" they shouted.

"Fine we stick to the whip. Lets get this game started." Armel turned to the pair. "Here are the rules you have ten seconds to run for your lives and dodge. After that I whip. If your in range you will get hit. Ten second intervals. Starting now! Ten, nine…"

Everybody's eyes lit, including the pair. Shinobu help lifted Misaki up. "Come on Misaki! Run!"

"Eight, seven…"

"RUN MISAKI RUN!" Akihiko and Takahiro frantically screamed. "Hurry Tadao and get their location!" Takahiro hyperventilated.

"I'm trying! Its hard when you're a laptop versing a super computer."

Misaki and Shinobu ran sideways, back and forth, but the whip followed them wherever they went. Armel remained in the center of the room but only turned his body. Petrified screams and cries for help were heard as they ran. Misaki moved slower due to his wounds and lack of energy.

"Two. One. Whip!"

He lashed the whip at the pair but Shinobu pushed Misaki away and dodge backwards. The whip had missed them by a couple of inches.

"Nice dodge you two. Again! This is fun. Ten. Nine…"

Everyone in Japan sighed in relief at the first whip but another coming. They tightened their fists, heart pounded as they watch the boys run for their lives.

Shinobu regrouped with Misaki, helping and guiding him to safety. Their faces showing immense visible fear. "Two. One and whip!"

"ARGHHH!" Shinobu yelped as the whip striked his arm when he pushed Misaki away. The blond held his wounded bloody right arm, tears flowed down rapidly down as he cried in excruciating pain.

"Oh that's got to sting my kitten. Ten. Nine…"

"Shinobu!" Misaki cried.

This time the whip directed to Misaki. The brunette jumped and screeched. He retreated to a corner.

"MISAKI RUN!" everybody screamed including Haruhiko and his father. Things were getting extremely intense. Takahiro was now breaking down into tears as he watched his brother being trapped in the room like a rat. Akihiko's violet eyes also started to water.

Misaki turned to glance at Shinobu before looking back at his lover who now wore a worried expression. He shook his head and turned his back, revealing his old whipped wounds.

"MISAKI! WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING?!" Akihiko shook the table. What was Misaki thinking?!

Even if he did. They would eventually grow tired. He didn't want get nails hammered into his foot. Akihiko choosing Shinobu was a wise choice. Misaki didn't want to take the whip but he had no choice. Shinobu had contact with Carlita, their only way out. How was Akihiko going to rescue them from a mafia if they didn't escape first. Besides he probably would faint after a couple of hits since he was already feeling dizzy from running. So he held his breath and braced for impact. He could hear them screaming out his name over and over. He had no choice but to break their hearts for now.

"Two. One and whip!"

"ARGHHHNNN!" Misaki shrilled in wretched pain. The metal whip lashed diagonally on his back, reopening some of his old lacerated wounds. He jerked his head back, mouth opened wide as he screamed out. Armel chucked at the horrific sight.

"MISAKIII! STOP THIS ARMEL, PLEASE!"

This time tears escaped from Akihiko's violet eyes. He gritted and clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles cracked. Everyone was horrified by the brutal treatment of the victims. Haruhiko couldn't take this anymore, all the suffering. He decided to gaze outside the window instead. Takahiro kept wiping his tears but they just kept on coming down like an overflowing river. Fuyuhiko's heart sank deeply. This was all his fault. Misaki shouldn't suffer terribly like this. No one should.

"Ten. Nine…"

"STOPPP!" Shinobu screeched before jumping ferociously onto the raven. "Leave Misaki alone!"

"Arghh! You stupid boy get off me!" The raven stumbled backwards while Shinobu clung onto him like a provoked feral koala, clawing him repeatedly. Armel dropped the whip as he fell down with Shinobu on top of him. Don rose from his spot immediately and rushed over to his boss. He yanked the blond off from Armel and held him up by his upper chest. Shinobu struggled to free himself but failed. Armel rose from his spot. His hair appeared messy and displaced. He was now infuriated with his pet's behavior.

Everyone was surprised at the unsuspected retaliation. He stood up for Misaki. Who was this Shinobu kid? And then that's when Akihiko realized. This boy was the other Mitsuhashi student that went missing on the same day as Misaki. That means they shared the same fate. Misaki wasn't alone.

"Hold him!"

"Yes boss!"

"Nooo!" Shinobu resisted.

"Leave that kid alone!"

"Shut up Akihiko!" Armel growled.

The raven lifted his fist and punched into his left jaw. "Ackk!" Shinobu grunted. Fresh blood stained his lips. Another punch came, knocking his head back into Don's chest. He spluttered more blood out as his face was bashed. Red liquid now poured out from his nose. Akihiko could be heard yelling at Armel to stop but he didn't. Their protests were like a incentive fuel to invigorate his wrongdoings.

All the screaming was getting into Tadao's head and he exploded. Standing up from his chair he slammed the laptop monitor shut.

The video chat abruptly ended.

"Why the hell did you do that for?!" Akihiko snapped at the guard.

"Your only encouraging him! Armel will stop! This is getting out of hand! The longer you get carried away by his games. The more pain he'll inflict on them. These type of criminals gain satisfaction by hurting others. I have experience. Your feeding him the energy to carry these acts! Your showing too much weakness to him!" Tadao argued.

"He will hurt Misaki and that boy if we—!"

"If we watch sir?" Tadao interrupted. "He's wants an audience and he's getting it."

"Tadao's right. If he didn't end it. I would!" Haruhiko joined. "Things only escalated when he knew we were paying attention. Like the slapping and now this. Don't let your emotions get to you Akihiko."

"Misaki is already in danger we know that. But don't feed to the fire that is already burning," his father added.

"But how are we going to get a location then?!" Takahiro asked.

"We do it the old usually way. Armel did say if we find his father, then everything would be clear. He's telling us something. The orphanage is your best shot. Kuwawa Orphanage is not far. That's a good start. Best to avoid direct communication with your enemy." Tadao suggested.

"He wants to plays games then fine. Takahiro let's go."

"Akihiko where are you going at this time of the night?" his father questioned to impede his decision.

"To Kuwawa!"

"To the orphanage at this time?!"

"So what. Misaki needs me! You coming Takahiro?"

"I'm coming Usagi. Definitely. I want to find my brother. That asshole will pay." Takahiro gritted.

"But sir. I'm sure you can leave it for tomorrow. Some of nannies might have gone home by now," Tadao said.

"Akihiko. Don't go, leave it for tomorrow. It's late and Tadao is right. Some of the workers are probably at home now."

"I don't need your concern old man! I'm capable of doing things on my own!"

"Akihiko!"

The two ignored Fuyuhiko and grabbed their jackets, key and phone before heading towards the door.

"Stubborn boy! Haruhiko go with them now!" his father ordered in a crossed manner.

"Right now? What about you two?"

"Me and your father will meet you there. We have to discuss a few things before we go. Plus I have to process this recording for later playback."

"Fine," he sighed. He followed after Akihiko and Takahiro. "Oi Akihiko. Wait up you two!"

Fuyuhiko slumped down on the dinner chair and covered his face with one of his palms. He sighed deeply.

Meanwhile back in the cell.

"Stop hitting Shinobu!" Misaki cried as he watch Shinobu getting severely beaten.

Armel repeatedly assaulted Shinobu until his face was covered in crimson red. His fists were tainted with blood as well. He just kept going until Don interrupted him when he spotted the disconnected chat.

"Boss. The video chat stopped."

"What!" The raven ceased his assault and paced to the laptop. "Why would they hang up? Unless Dulio cut them off. Sheez."

Armel removed his smartphone from his pocket. He dialed Dulio's number. Shinobu spluttered more blood from his mouth. He slowly twitched in pain as he was dropped onto the floor. His conscious felt unclear after his head was repeatedly smashed. Heavy migraines pounded within his skull. Misaki could only watch in anguish at the sight. Feeling sorry and thankful for his friend's bravery. He crawled to Shinobu and wrapped his arms around him. Don was about to kick Misaki away when Armel cursed out loudly.

"Fuck! Why would they end?! Dulio get the server back online even though they ended. I'll invite them again." Armel turned to Don. "Get them back up both of them. Make them sit along that wall now. Hurry!"

"Yes boss."

"Doon't," Misaki whined when he and Shinobu were dragged by their arms to the wall. Why did Usagi hang up the call for? Misaki wanted to know. Was it technical malfunctions or they just couldn't bear to watch this anymore.

"Don keep an eye on them. I'll be right back. I have an idea."

"Yes boss."

Ten minutes later. Armel returned with a wooden mallet and steel nails. Misaki screeched and wailed dramatically.

"Oh little Misaki. Come here. Don get the chat online now."

"Understood boss."

Armel widely grinned at the brunette. He motioned the wooden mallet around, teasing the boy. Don sent another request for a video chat but no one accepted.

"Did their laptop run out of battery?" The raven scratched his head curiously.

Don shrugged. "Maybe. They're probably searching for a charger."

Tadao saved the evidence on a portable hard drive. He later begun to unpack the cords. "I'm sorry Fuyuhiko for ending that call. He would continue to torture them. It would only cause Akihiko more pain. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I was just about to do the same before you did it for me. Thank you. Akihiko can be quite stubborn and emotional at times. You were right to end the call. We cannot prevent him from hurting Misaki but encouraging the enemy is worse."

"I'll watch over the recording and see if I could identify everyone the video and also study the behavior of this man." As Tadao packed away the other computers, he opened the laptop to check if the call ended properly. A missed call was displayed on the chat log. "And they tried to call Akihiko back." Tadao showed the laptop to Fuyuhiko.

"Persistent bastard."

Next minute another call came. "Sir should we ignore it."

Fuyuhiko hesitated at first, his eyebrow twitched. "Let me talk to him. Lets see if I could reason with him. Get the cables back out. Record this now."

"Yes sir. I just packed them. You could still answer it though, I'll track it once I get the cable connected and the other laptop started."

Fuyuhiko nodded and accepted the call. He intertwined his fingers together in a professional manner, ready to face his nemesis.

There was Armel, his hair fixed back into place. His blue eyes lit in surprise before grinning widely.

"Fuyuhiko?! Wah this is great. Finally a conversation with you! Ah this is great!" he jumped up in joy.

Fuyuhiko's face remained neutral as he eyed the man. He tried his hardest not to display any emotional leakage to the enemy. "Armel lets handle this like real men. Forgot the boys. Its just you and me." His eyebrows now furrowed, demonstrating his serious autocratic demeanor.

Misaki swallowed. He knew Fuyuhiko was the one to blame for all this. But a bit of hope was also lighted when he realized the old man was trying to help them.

"Isn't this great. The Usami acting all high and mighty. Look at who has the upper hand now. Your trying to reason with me to save this beloved pathetic pup. He must be really important to you people. Too bad he's here with me."

"Just because you can afford a few of the worlds most richest wall décor doesn't mean you have the upper hand. I own Japan's most historic traditional painting which costs more than that. Tell me you can't out buy that?"

Fuyuhiko needed to keep the line on for as long as possible for Tadao. Unlike Akihiko, the old man tried to divert the conversation to something else rather than pissing off Armel or encouraging him.

"Haha a Japanese artifact! Ha! You make me laugh. Well I do have a wonder collection of eight pets. Including these two here."

"Interesting. I have a pet as well and his name is Alexander."

"Tell me Fuyuhiko how do you discipline your pets?" Armel grasped the head of the mallet as he said that.

"I let them roam free. To do what they like."

"And what if they were to disobey you? Bark at you?"

Clearly Armel was up to mischief. His blue wicked eyes says it all.

"I would let them run loose. Let them have a taste of freedom."

"What sort of master are you?" his eyes narrowed, dismayed by the lack of appropriate response he was receiving.

"A generous one."

"Pftt generous. I don't think so Fuyuhiko."

"Out of curiosity what line of business are you in?"

"I own my syndicate."

"Hmff. And I assume your having trouble keeping your group, of little boys in rank with the other European syndicates. Am I not right?"

"I'm already up there Fuyuhiko and once I am on top. I'll come for your head!" Armel threatened fiercly.

"Well I'll be waiting. That's if old age does not catch up with me. And hurting those boys won't quicken up time either."

"Are you calling me incompetent?!"

"No I'm stating the facts."

"Your facts are—."

Armel's phone rung during the conversation. "Who the hell would interrupt me?!" The raven removed his smartphone from his pocket and viewed the caller ID. "Yuk—damn. Excuse me I need to take this call. Don watch those two. Fuyuhiko I'll be back." Armel left the room, which could be heard when the metal door slammed shut.

Don stood behind the laptop. His arms were crossed over his steroid infused chest. His eyes menacingly watched over the boys like a blood thirsty stalking hawk. Fuyuhiko had a clear view of the wounded pair on the floor. Misaki had lost most of his strength from the prolonged bleeding. He laid limp on his chest. Shinobu was left partially conscious. With all the energy left, he turned his gaze to the old man and muttered weak hoarse words to him.

"Mi—yargi. Tell hieem. I'm he—errre." After saying those words, his world blackened. He had lost conscious.

Fuyuhiko could only watch sympathetically at the two. He did manage to decipher what the blond muttered but who the hell was this Miyagi person?

"Misaki. Misaki," he called out to the boy. "Can you hear me? Misaki?"

Misaki weakly motioned his head to the laptop. "Usa—armi?"

"Can that brute understand Japanese? Is Armel out of the room?"

"No and yes," he rasped. "He's out."

"Quiet you!" Don barked. Misaki flinched at his command.

"Misaki. Hang on in there. I'm sorry this was brought on to you. You have the whole Usami Corporations looking for you. We will find you and bring you home safely. And I also approve your relationship with Akihiko. Everything will be restored to the way it used to be. So hang on in there," Fuyuhiko reassured.

A tear dripped onto the floor from Misaki's eyes. He really needed this reassurance. Another beacon of light had shone down on him. No longer he felt like the darkness had completely consumed him. He closed his eyes to rest. Chronic blood loss resulted in severe tiredness and fatigue, thus he drifted off to sleep.

Armel stormed back in. An euphoric aura was felt when he cheerfully stood in front of the camera. He wore the biggest grin only a child who had received his candy would display.

"Fuyuhiko! Guess what lets play another game!"

"I'm too old for games. If you want to play games buy yourself a console."

"Grr. You really are so narrow minded. The game I want to play is called Find Me. Not finding me necessary but finding…your sons."

Fuyuhiko's eyes widened to the fullest. "What do you mean?! Like you can get your hands on them!"

"You underestimate me old man. I had my subordinates monitor your every movement. I must say, Akihiko must be desperate to find me by turning up to my old orphanage. Vulnerable aren't they?"

Fuyuhiko's froze, his complexion turned pale. Tadao had the same reaction. Though instead he immediately rose from his spot and called the Usami guards nearby to their aid.

"Tadao call your men and warn them!" Fuyuhiko ordered.

"I'm doing it now sir."

"…Three men, no guards should be fairly easy to kidnap. Overconfident that your untouchable? Run Fuyuhiko run!" The raven laughed hysterically at the sight of his enemy's panicked face. This was getting better then he had anticipated.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL ARMEL! I KILL YOU IF THEY ARE HARMED!" he bellowed. "Lets go Tadao!"

Fuyuhiko shut the laptop to end the conversation before the two sprinted out of the apartment.

Akihiko, Haruhiko and Takahiro were in danger!

* * *

Review. Follow. Support

Suggestions welcomed.

Love OWLSIES


	15. Chapter 15 Taken

A.N/ WOOHOO, we've reached **Act II** and also 100K in words. Thank you guys so much for your support. When I started this fanfic I was stubborn to edit and fix my grammar. So I'll have to go back and fix them. *Sighs heavily: Only 70K to edit and some plot holes to fix up :D

But don't worry I'll still upload chapters. Thank you for bearing my terrible writing. I'm definitely editing hard out from now on, but yet I still miss one stupid mistake.

I like to thank my followers and favoriters and especially my reviewers. Thank you fanatla, Animebaconlover, RANDOM me123, sakura121, mitzcalimlim, Fizzydrink101, lilanimefan247, Brinow, MysticHybrid, IAmBehindYou123, Sasuke-is-Badass, Love-Ice-Rose and guests.

Junjou Romantica has a small fandom, so thank you so much. Your reviews were a source of my motivation. Keep it up, I love suggestions and guest reviews as well.

And thank you for those for continued to support, it really pushes me to get it done. Thank you :)

So review if you want to be recognized in Act III :D

OWLSIES LOVES YOU!

For some reason, whenever I edit the end, my browser keeps crashing when I try to centralise or italicise. Does that happen to you guys? Sorry actions at the end were meant to be italicised. Stupid browser.

* * *

 **{~0~}**

 **Taken**

The two men swiftly rushed towards Akihiko's red sports car, with Haruhiko stumbling to equilibrate with their fast pace. Heels clomping echoed the underground carparks. They panted heavily as adrenalin pumped continuously into their bloodstream, urging the need to desperately uncover Armel's secret past. Misaki and Shinobu's harrowing screams for help remained fresh in their minds, reverberating. Never before had they witness such barbaric and unmerciful actions held against those who did not partake in the dispute between Armel and Fuyuhiko.

Haruhiko breathed rapidly while striding behind them, trying to convince the two to avoid disrupting the orphanage, especially during closing hours. "Akihiko. Takahiro. Can't this wait for tomorrow?" he frowned.

"No. That Italian half breed thinks he can get away with torturing those boys. I'm not sitting down to watch them suffer that way. So don't stop me!" Akihiko retorted to his brother's attempt to stop them.

"Don't try and stop us like your father, Misaki needs us!" Takahiro added to their protests, unwilling to patiently wait for operating hours to come.

"I'm not stopping you. I just have a bad feeling about this. Don't you think it's a bit fishy that he's willing to let us find out about his heritage, without nothing hidden up his sleeve?"

Akihiko opened his car door. "Just get in or stay here." He wasn't going to tolerate his older brother's pessimistic views any more. It was either stay behind and complain or join them in the recovery of the record. Unable to decline due to orders of his father, Haruhiko eventually capitulated to their reluctance and entered the back passenger seat. The two were serious, they disallowed anyone to prevent them from going. Once buckled up, Akihiko slammed down heavily on the accelerator. The engine roared as he sped off into the main road. The orphanage was relatively close to the university. In approximately four minutes they arrived outside their destination.

Akihiko pulled onto the side of the road outside a three story building. The orphanage had its name plastered above the front entrance. Green fantasy landscapes with colorful rainbows were painted all over the concrete walls. The three exited the parked car and stood outside the poorly lit double wooden door.

"Usagi-san do you have any idea on how we're going to get access to Armel's private record?" Takahiro asked. He was still fairly curious on how Akihiko would use his novelist influence to obtain information that was deemed confidential. Furthermore they weren't even policemen, neither of them held search warrants, maybe they should have brought Tadao, or a private detective along. But that didn't matter now, they were here.

"I don't know to be exact. But I'm not leaving this place until we obtain the information we need."

Akihiko roughly prodded the white round button on the door frame, signaling to whomever was inside to open. While they waited impatiently for someone to answer, Haruhiko kept his eye out for any suspicious activity during the night. Who knows if they were being watched by those troublesome underlings. He noticed a cleaning van parked across the street that wasn't there when they first arrived. His conscience remained on high alert for a moment, until the door opened. Out came a young navy-blue haired woman dressed in a long blue high collared cotton dress. Her face paled, mouth gaped open, browns eyes shined with bedazzlement upon seeing the famous author. With an exuberant squirming doll face she squealed out loudly, enough to sharply pierce their thin eardrums.

"Oh my god! Its Usami Akihiko! Oh my gosh I'm your number fan! You can call me Miko. Are you here to adopt? Oh my gosh that is so cute!" She clapped ecstatically. "But—but we're closed at the moment, awwww," she pouted adorably.

"It's okay Miko. We're here to do some research. If you could kindly allow us to enter I would be glad to dedicate you a novel with your name in it." Akihiko acted charismatically before using his signature smile to capture her unfortified heart. An advantage he saw to inveigle her for entrance.

"Oh my gosh," she fluttered brightly. Her cheeks blushed rose red on her pale skin. "Oh my that would be a dream. Pl—please come in. But just keep your voice down. Its bedtime for the children."

"Thank you Miko."

Miko allowed the three men to enter the quiet orphanage. The children were all fast asleep, tucked away in their soft blankets, adding a feeling of relief to their visit. They followed her to a lounge room where the adoptive parents would gather to meet their chosen adoptive child. They then sat down on the cream wool couches.

"Is there anything you want to drink?" she asked them politely, although most of her welcoming conversation was noticeably directed to Akihiko. From this observation, Takahiro and Haruhiko remained silent to let Akihiko do most of the talking.

"I'm fine. No need to. Are there any other staff here tonight?"

"No its just me. My family runs Kuwawa for two generations. This is also my home." She gently smiled with an elegant relaxed posture, displaying her proper lady-like mannerism.

"Interesting. Did you keep a record of all the children that were here and who adopted them?"

"Yes. We keep records since this orphanage first opened. But that information remains private."

The men glanced at each other. Armel's record was accessible. Now they just had to convince the young woman to show it to them.

"Miko. I'm not here to adopt. I'm investigating on a child that was once adopted here. He was once a friend who went to my school. He went missing after someone adopted him. If you could let me access his record, I would be in your debt. Please." Akihiko tried his hardest to persuade her with his princely charming manners. Despite his attempt to coax her with enticing pretense, it did pain him to falsely label Armel as his friend.

"Oh my that's terrible. A lot of people are missing nowadays. I tell you what. If I can get a selfie with you for my online friends to see, I'll let you access his record. But you can't tell anyone, not even my mother. If you do, I'll tell them you did it yourself. Deal?"

Now that was a simple request Akihiko could agree to. "That would be no problem," he smiled lightly, enough to send her fan-girling emotions through the roof.

"Yay!" she cheered joyously and immediately removed her cell phone from her dress pocket. Akihiko rose from his spot to let the girl snap a photo of the two. After that she thrillingly uploaded the photo for her friends to see.

"Okay I'm done. Follow me but you can't tell anyone." She wagged her raised dominant finger while shaking her head.

"I promise," Akihiko gently smiled. Miko blushed again before escorting them to an office room.

"What is the name of your friend?" she asked.

"Yamano Armel."

Miko opened the filing cabinets and flicked through the yellow folders of all the children that once lived there. Unable to find his folder, she paused. "How old was your friend when he was sent here?"

"He's my age right now so, he should be here around (A.N/ I don't know the year but Akihiko does)."

"Okay then that record should be in the basement, since that was such a long time ago. Only my mother and grandmother would probably remember who adopted the child back then. But since they're gone to my aunt's funeral, they're not here. Follow me."

Miko closed the cabinet and grabbed the silver keys from the office drawers. They followed her to a door leading down to an underground basement. The stuffy room was covered in piles of overflowing papers, children toys, old furniture and not to mention dust. Lots of dust that Takahiro sneezed upon inhaling the allergenic particles.

The girl unlocked a large chest in the corner of the room. Once opened she scrambled through the inside and pulled out a stack of folders. Flicking to the end, assuming that they were arranged in alphabetical order, she found the record.

"Here it is. Yamano Armel?"

"Yes! Thank you." Akihiko eagerly snatched the folder from her hand and opened it to read the contents. The two huddled by Akihiko's side to view down at the papers inside. With his fingers, he turned each sheet of paper over, until he found the adoption page.

"Richard Halyardir," they read over the paper and the fancy cursive signature.

"That must be the father," Haruhiko suggested.

"Is that his biological father? How did he contact him? Check if it says it in there," Takahiro added.

While the three men carefully examined the private record, Haruhiko's phone rung in his pocket. Annoyed by the sudden intrusion of their investigation, he excused himself politely to the other side of the room. The caller ID revealed it to be Tadao. Were they outside the orphanage right now?

"Hello," he answered quietly.

"Haruhiko! You three are in danger, get out of there now! Find something to defend yourselves. Armel's underlings are after you!" Tadao frantically shouted over the line. His loud voice echoed through the enclosed basement, causing everyone to shift their attention to Haruhiko.

"What is it?!" Akihiko demanded. His heart raced when he heard the distressed shouts.

"We have to get out of here. I knew he wouldn't handle his information over that easily! Keep the record. We have no choice!" He pointed at the folder held in his brother's hand.

"Shit!" Akihiko cursed.

"What do we do?!" Takahiro panicked. His eyes swayed left and right, searching for a possible exit or a weapon at least.

"Miko," Akihiko swiftly turned to the confused frightened girl. "Let us borrow this record. I promise we'll bring it back."

"Okay," she nodded shakily. "Take it for now. But what is going on?"

"You don't have to worry but we have to leave now," the silver haired replied calmly to reassure her.

The three rushed to get out of the building, but as soon as they headed up the wooden stairs, a spray can of smoke was thrown down. White mist was emitted, hissing out as it toppled down the wooden steps. The thick smoke eventually covered the room in less than five seconds, hampering their vision and choking their lungs. Everybody downstairs started to violently cough and choke as they inhaled the asphyxiating distasteful gas. The three men lost their balance and plummeted backwards, tumbling down the stairs in a domino motion. Miko's feminine coughs could be heard at the same time during the surprised attack.

"Arh arh arh Usargii!" Takahiro tried to call out to his friend but all that escaped from his mouth was hoarse chokes. The dense smog obstructed his vision, even worse Akihiko's body laid crushing against his chest. His breathing was forced into shallow huffs. He was the last one to follow behind, now he had to unfortunately experience the heavy weight of two grown men pressuring on top of him.

"Arh Tak—arh. Damn arh." The silver haired held onto the record tightly, afraid that the vital information would be lost. He lifted himself off Takahiro's chest while his brother laid squashing on his lower body. The three struggled to stand up. Fear overpowered their minds and they tried to retreat back into the corner of the basement.

Not long after they attempted to flee away from the door, four underlings dressed in black spy suits and gas masks barged in with batons. They unclearly identified their victims amongst the smoggy room. Assuming they were the correct targets, the gang swarmed towards the three defenseless men. With a ruthless swinging motion they bluntly whacked the batons against their heads. Eventually all three were knocked out and pulled out from the basement by their arms or feet. The underlings quickly dragged their limp bodies across the carpet floor and out the back door. They were then immediately thrown into the back of the cleaning van, ready for transportation to an unknown location. Their phones and wallets were tossed out of the window to prevent being tracked.

One sacrificial underling was ordered to remain behind to distract the oncoming rescue. The masked man removed a sub machine gun from his black zipper bag and loaded the gun with live ammunition. He moved closer to the front window to glance outside. Usami guards and their vehicles were seen scrambling about the streets. They held their guns as they advanced towards the entrance. The enemy shot a few warning shots, startling the guards and the children sleeping upstairs. The Usami guards retreated back and used their car door as protective shields. Like trained policemen, they surrounded the premises. Miko sneakily tip toed past the criminal and upstairs to save the frightened children.

Tadao and Fuyuhiko pulled over next to the scene. After seeing their boss hop out of the vehicle, the Usami guards rushed to warn Fuyuhiko of the dangerous situation.

"It's not safe here sir. We have to get you to stay away from this area. There's a gunman in there!"

"My son's are in there! If there's a gunman in there, where are they?!" the old man shouted. His heart dropped beneath the earth after realizing that his sons were somewhere inside, either dead or held hostage. A few warning shots was fired from inside the building again. Everybody outside ducked behind their vehicles.

"Who are they shooting at?!" Fuyuhiko was extremely worried that the shots were directed at his sons. More daggers speared into his chest, he cannot lose both of his sons. That would be heart shattering for any parent to experience.

"That was a warning shot. Stay down sir." Tadao poked his head out to survey the building. The criminal was on the first floor, his movements could sometimes be seen partially through the window. "Damn. It's a distraction. Oi you four over there!" Tadao called out to the guards. "Go over to back side, intercept them!" he gesticulated orders to his men.

"Yes sir!"

Four Usami guards nodded and paced with their guns lowered to the back alleyway of the orphanage. Tadao crouched down beside his boss. He took out a silver handgun from his jacket and unclicked the safety knob. "Sir. I think they have your sons already. My bet is that they're being transported now through the back of the building."

"Well stop them!"

"I will but are sure you feel safe here with the other guards?"

"Yes I do. I trust you more to save my sons than the others, now go!" Fuyuhiko ordered.

"Yes sir!"

Hoping that luck was on his side, Tadao respired in deeply, ready to face any possible hostiles. Taking another peek at the enemy inside the building, the coast seems clear. He dashed with his body leaned forward, his gun lowered with both hands gripping tightly on the handle, to the side alley. Sprinting as fast as he could, he halted momentarily when he heard several gun fires coming from the back alleyway. His brown eyes lit, his men were under attack.

Turning around the corner block, Usami guards hid behind tin can bins. Bullets ricochet off from the metal after rapid machine gun shots were fired from the window of the van. One of the guards were wounded, warm blood poured out from his shoulder while he took cover behind a bin. Tadao leaned against the corner, he aimed at the wheels of the van but missed when a stray bullet scrapped past him, almost blinding him if he took another step. The van sped off, Tadao panicked, he cannot let them escape. He advanced towards the middle of the alleyway and shot at the wheels. One of tires popped but despite the damage, the van still managed to drive off.

"Damn!" he gritted. He turned to his men and pointed to each guard "Quick you, get him aid. You two, we have to follow that van. Come on!"

"Yes sir!"

Tadao sprinted back to their cars. Fuyuhiko jolted from seeing his bodyguard rushing into the car and switching on the engine as fast as he could.

"They have your sons!" Tadao alerted his boss. He didn't have time to explain every little detail to him. The other guards that he ordered also hopped into their respective vehicles. Slamming down the accelerator, they pursued after the van. Not long after they took off, they spotted the cleaning van with bright sparks coming off from the exposed metal wheel. Three black BMW's stalked in great speed after the van. The popped tire reduced the speed of the fleeing vehicle, giving the Usami's guards and Tadao an advantage. The van did a sharp right turn on a busy red light traffic. Oncoming cars beeped and braked, the van missed the chance of collision by a small margin. Tadao decelerated to swoop around the beeping braked cars and drivers squawking out profanity. One Usami vehicle halted due to a mini pink Suzuki car blocking its path.

The chase grew repetitive with the van drifting around side curves, tires screeching as it passed through the streets and onto the highway. Just when Tadao and his men were about to ram the van off to the side, two unknown four wheeled drives intercepted them. More underlings had been called for help. They drove along the highway side by side with the Usami guards, swerving into each other's vehicle, creating visible scratches and bumping dents. Just as when Tadao brought out his gun whilst driving with one hand, the enemy wind down their windows and began shooting at him. Glass shattered into miniature pellets when bullets blasted through.

"Shit!" he exclaimed.

Tadao accelerated and motioned his head down to duck for cover. He exchanged a couple of shots with the enemy. Overwhelmed by the chase and heavy attack, he slammed down on the brakes to discontinue their crossfire. He decelerated behind the enemy before swerving around pass them to avoid being trapped in between two enemy vehicles. All the sudden police sirens were heard blaring from behind all of them. Clearly they were unaware to the reason behind the chase and assumed that all the vehicles ahead of them were racing on a highway. After all Japan was known as one of hottest locations to speed race for wealth and recognition.

Two police cars drew their attention like moths to a light at the speeding vehicles. They begun to bump their black and white cars into the back of each car, especially Tadao's since his one was the easiest to impede, due to being off to the side.

"Far! Do I need to wave a flag just to tell them I'm a friendly!" Tadao vexed.

The police vehicle bumped into his back again, causing the black car to jerk forward. Despite the interference with law enforcement, Tadao was not going to give up on his pursuit to save the three men.

"Piss off!"

Things got worse when the enemy vehicle to his left started to shoot his tires. A wide cheeky grin was seen on a man wearing black shades and a blue cap as he shot Tadao's wheels, causing it to rupture.

"FUCK!"

His car trembled with strong vibrations when the car lost its grip on the road. Having two damaged wheels angled the car sideways. The police car behind was able to ram into to Tadao's vehicle one more time. His car was forced off to the side. Eventually Tadao lost the chase, the police had successfully knocked him off his course. His car came to a complete stop, he exasperated and repeatedly palmed smacked the steering wheel.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

A police office exited his vehicle with his gun raised. "Stop! Step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air, facing your vehicle immediately. Now! Comply with the law!" he ordered.

Tadao sighed heavily in defeat. "Fuyuhiko sir…I'm sorry. I have failed you…"

[~¥~]

Armel removed his black leather jacket and threw it aside on the marble floor. The maids would clean it up, that was their duty. He slumped down on his favorite red leather chair with a smartphone in one hand, the other a Sfogliatella pastry. He waited excitedly for his counterpart in Japan to live feed their abduction. So far the raven was pleased with the news. He took a small bite out of his supposedly late lunch, while staring down at the touch screen. A chat log was opened on a secured app, Yukihiko narrated the current status of their underlings activity:

 **Yuki37** : We have them. My men inform that the Usami pests are knocked off by incoming police force.

 **RavenSkull13** : How are your men getting rid of the police?

 **Yuki37** : Rocket Launcher ;) DW I have this covered.

 **RavenSkull13** : You better this really means so much to me. Do they really think I'll let them waltz into our old home and obtain my private information. Inform me once you have successfully isolated them.

 **Yuki37** : I most certainly will. By the way I have successfully obtained information about your dirty blond. It was easy as Misaki's. Their faces are publicized all over the university.

 **RavenSkull13** : Good girl. Sent it over to me ASAP.

 **Yuki37** : _3487231IdentityRecord_ CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

 **RavenSkull13** : Interesting. Anything about the name Miyagee Yoh, I don't even know if its spelled correctly.

 **Yuki37** : No but I found something interesting while reading about the course Shinobu was in. His father is the Dean of Literature. After a few searches, the staff of the Literature caught my eye. The staff are Professor Yoh Miyagi and Associate Professor Kamijou Hiroki. They're both guys. Is this the Miyagi you mention? Its not a girl though.

Armel jolted forward at the message. "That sly kitten," he sneered.

 **RavenSkull13** : Investigate like what you did to Akihiko. Lets cause some trouble for the Literature Department as well.

 **Yuki37** : I'm looking forward to it…

Misaki and Shinobu were left lying on the floor, blood droplets stained the concrete, a gruesome scene. They inanimately fell into deep sleep, their energy sucked out of their body from the foul game Armel had chosen to play. Even though the video chat ended on purpose, the raven's chagrin was soon replaced by the new pandemonium he had created over in Japan. Panic, confusion, anger, sadness and fear were all the emotions that were outpoured during the chaos in the streets outside Kuwawa.

The cell laid bare, the camera, portable table and cables have been packed up. Don carried the electrical equipment back into the secured computer room. He placed the folded cables into the appropriate drawers.

"Their hacker is really good, despite using a simple laptop," Dulio said. He relaxed his arms behind his head while twirling around in his computer chair.

"Did he manage to hack?"

"He or she was close a few times. It's pretty challenging."

"The boss has the Usami brothers."

Dulio lay his hands down, this piqued his interest. "You know what I'm thinking." His thick brown eyebrow raised.

"Twenty four hours," the brute betted.

"Too early, I bet forty eight hours."

"That's too long. They'll be dead by then or found."

Dulio placed a finger on the middle of his glasses to push it back into place. "Don't forgot Don. Your forgot about travelling factors. Are you willing to stake one hundred euros on that?"

"I stand firm on my bet."

"Very well. Good luck, its your loss," the baldie smirked.

[~¥~]

Tadao was escorted pass the office cubicles with his wrists cuffed behind his back. He had failed to save the three, guilt stabbed his chest, he blamed himself for shutting that monitor. He had dishonored his superiors, now he had to endure the ignominy. The police station was fairly quiet at this time.

"The constable will speak with you soon."

"I need to call my boss."

"You'll get to speak to him after we question you sir."

"But officer, I have to ensure the safety of Usami."

"Yeah yeah and I have to ensure the safety of the civilians from moronic street racers like you."

"I wasn't even racing and besides didn't you see that car shooting at me?!"

"Keep down your condescending tone sir. I know what I saw. This isn't Mario Kart! Now we'll also have to test you for drugs as well. But first I need to file my paperwork. So do comply sir, and get in that cell when I open it."

"Mario—what?!" Tadao's eyes widened in bewilderment. He couldn't believe how thick headed this arrogant cop was. The policeman had a thick comb moustache on his upper lip, his hazel eyes were naturally stern. The brown moustache would quiver and pout forward whenever the senior cop talked. If Tadao had his way he would wax that fuzz patch directly off his face.

"Sir you heard me. Drugs are everywhere on the street. You got teenagers on heroin, you got kids addicted to synthesized sugar. This is not a game. This is real life. So do comply with the law."

Tadao grinded his teeth. He wanted to tirade this older cop for his obtuse brain. "Fine." He gave in to the man, hopefully his boss or subordinates would track his phone to his current location. Which is likely since Fuyuhiko would want to know if he had successfully rescued his sons.

The policeman unlocked the temporary cell where those who have committed a crime are placed. Tadao obediently walked into the room and slumped down on the metal benches that was lined against the wall. He sighed heavily and contemplated deeply on today's hectic mess.

He noticed a black haired middle aged man slouching drowsily against the wall on the adjacent bench. "So what your in here for?" Tadao asked curiously, hoping to kill time as well as stress.

The man lifted his head, his face sad. "Honestly I don't really remember." His speech sounded numb and Tadao instantly identified the cause of his problems.

"You've been drinking haven't you?"

"Hic!—How did you know?"

"The way you talk."

"Oh."

"What occasion have you been to?"

"The bar across the street."

"Okay. So how did you end up here?

"I honestly don't know. My memory is a bit vague at the moment." The man rubbed his aching head.

"Shit happens."

"Yeah they do." The man let out a long and weary sigh.

Not long later the cell door swung open and in came the comb moustache cop. "Yoh Miyagi? That's you?" He held his license photo up, obtained from his confiscated wallet. Miyagi nodded. "Good it's time for your urine drug test. You sir, your next." He pointed to Tadao. The Usami bodyguard grimaced at the policeman for accusing him of drug intake.

Miyagi grunted unenthusiastically and staggered his way out of the room with the cop. He had only recently woken up, his conscious was fuzzy. He tried to recall what had happened before and how he got himself into this predicament.

 _Flashback_

Miyagi moderately poured the whiskey into his cup, clanking as it came in contact with the cylindrical glass. It was the afternoon, his roster day off. Usually he would dedicate his spare time to study the art of literature but with Shinobu gone, his happiness became evanescent. Sensei, his first love, now Shinobu, were both gone. Maybe he wasn't meant to find true love, maybe he was just bad luck? He hated himself, he hated his life.

The black haired professor sighed heavily while turning his gaze towards the window. Outside situated a police station where the video evidence was held. A pretty convenient location for police to arrest obstreperous drunkards.

The words on the paper that was dumped at the university remained stuck in his head.

 _'Hello fellow Mitsuhashi students. You will suffer the same fate one day as your fellow student Misaki Takahashi if you wander off by yourself.'_

Does that mean Shinobu suffered the same fate? Were they linked? That was what Miyagi wanted to know. Another part of his mind wanted access to the video evidence, the other berated himself with common sense. Was he being imprudent with his decisions? An inner turmoil bored within him, unable to assuage. Like two angry stags prowling at the ground, he battled himself. One does not simply walk into a secured evidential storage room in a police station. What happens if he got caught? Was it worth obtaining that footage? What purpose did it serve to help him find his lover? What happens if it was linked? It wasn't worth backing off nor was it to get caught.

He guzzled down the whole cup of whiskey, hoping to tranquilize the never-ending dilemma. But that only culminated his desire to find his lover, suppressing the other conscience. After several more glasses, his mind became intoxicated with alcohol. His body moved on his own accord to the exit and towards the police station. The professor staggered a few times but was able to contain his upright posture. When he crossed the streets, a car was forced to slam their brakes and honk.

"Watch where your walking pal!" the driver hollered.

Miyagi grunted grumpily at the driver before reaching the other side. The professor wobbly entered the three story police station. The waiting room had blue plastic chairs and magazines on the white short legged table. Ignoring the following stares from locals and office workers, the man continued down the halls, pass the front counter and office cubicles, until he was stopped by a comb moustache cop.

"Sir are you lost or something?" The cop downcast his eyes and back up. "It appears you are drunk. Don't make me detain you here sir. Go home."

"No." Miyagi snubbed in disdain.

"Sir this is a restricted area. You have no reason to be here, unless you need to see us. So do comply with the law and turn around."

The inebriate professor traipsed past the cop.

"Sir stop! I said stop! Damn we got a breach." The cop paced to the black haired man. "Sir if you take one more step. I'll have to arrest you!"

"Where's the evidence room?" His speech was a bit slurry.

"Huh? Are you on drugs? Or are you looking for drug evidence to consume? That's it sir I'm placing you under arrest. Hands behind your back now!"

Miyagi merely glared at him sternly and continued traipsing down the hallway.

That was his worst mistake.

"He's not complying with the law. Men we got a breacher!"

Within seconds several cops sprung out from their cubicles and spear tackled down the professor, dog piling to restrain him. The poor man fell face down first, knocking him out instantly.

 _End of Flashback_

The gurgling sound of warm liquid filled the urine container, ready for drug analysis. The professor frowned. What the hell did he get himself into? He shouldn't have drunk too much. His love for Shinobu overpowered his senses.

Miyagi capped the lid of the container and placed it into a brown paper bag. Turning out from the bathroom he handed it back to the officer.

"How did I get here?"

"You were drunk and tried to break into the evidence room."

The professor's frown deepened. "How severe is my fine officer?"

"Depends if we find drugs in your system. That would lead to some jail time. If your clear you will be fined for unlawful entry only."

"But I'm not on drugs."

"That's what they all say. Now it's time to get you back into your cell. Your lucky you weren't caught drink driving."

Miyagi was escorted back to his cell, he slumped back down on his spot.

"Why did he suspect you of drugs for?" Tadao asked.

"I don't know." Miyagi shrugged. "He thinks I'm on it." There was a moment of silent pause. "So what your in here for?"

"Speeding on a highway."

"Did that cop arrest you?"

Tadao nodded. The two lightly conversed before resuming to silence. The Usami guard waited for his men to bail him out, his foot tapped rhythmically. Both men refused to reveal the main reason behind their arrest. Ten minutes has passed, Tadao's sample had already been taken. The forensic testing did not take long since the test came in a dipstick form.

Miyagi's results were negative, same as Tadao. But the guard was detained for further questioning. The professor was fined the amount of approximately 420211 yen (3500USD). His penalty would have been more severe if he wasn't drunk. The black haired man stood in front of the administration office, tapping the counter with his fingers while he waited impatiently for the office worker to bill his payment. Not long later, a group of black suited guards surrounding an old man, along with a couple of policemen entered. Miyagi gulped at the unexpected group of people who walked passed him.

"Um sir. I'm sorry but this may take a couple of minutes. The computer is playing up a bit. I might need to use the other one." The female overweight office worker apologized.

"Yeah no worries," the professor muttered. He rubbed his head in frustration. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

Tadao boringly stared at the fly buzzing around the elongated light bulb. His eyes lit when he saw his men and boss walking pass the cell through the glass panel. Fuyuhiko made eye contact with his bodyguard, the old man didn't look too please. The guard tightened his fists and inhaled. He prepared himself to be reprimanded by his boss. Tadao waited, he could hear murmurs of men conversing behind the door.

The door swung open and in came Fuyuhiko, frowning. Tadao immediately stood up and bowed to his superior. His hands remained cuffed behind his back. Fuyuhiko closed the door behind him.

"Forgive me Usami sir. I have failed to save your sons. I had not intended for this to happen. Let me redeem myself for causing you this trouble." The guard kept his head bowed, he felt extremely guilty for his actions. Maybe it was better for them to watch the two boys suffer, or even killed. At least this wouldn't had happened or would it still?

Fuyuhiko remained stern, his arms crossed over his chest. "We don't have time for apologies Tadao. We've got work to do. But I'm relieved that you're here." His tense expression relaxed slightly.

Tadao lifted his head curiously before moving his body slowly upright. His boss was not going to rebuke him for his actions? "Sir what do you mean relieved? It was my fault. I shouldn't have shut that laptop."

Fuyuhiko sighed deeply. "It was no one's fault. We all wanted to end that conversation. I need you Tadao. I know your past very well. My sons are taken. I cannot let anything bring harm to them. Now come, we're getting you out. And when I meant I was relieved, one your men reported that his car and the police were getting shot at by rocket launchers." Tadao's eyes opened in disbelieving shock. "Rockets?! Is anyone hurt?!"

"No, but there was road damage. They got away. One of your men came back to inform us and about you getting arrested by the police."

"Are you getting the police involved?"

"Yes to find my sons. But with Armel, I really want to get the Italian Police force involved. However I fear that Misaki and Shinobu kid, if that's his name, would be brought to harm or even killed. I don't want Akihiko to blame me. That's why I need your help and input. There's too much pressure on me. I only want my sons to be safe and happy." The old man looked like he was in the verge of shedding tears. "I need my sons back."

Tadao smiled reassuringly. "And we will get them back. Armel will not harm them yet. We locate the underlings, we'll find your sons and Misaki's brother."

"I hope so," the old man sorrowfully spoke.

"And what happened to the underling in the orphanage?"

"He's dead. The police took over the scene. They are aware of the kidnapping now. That's why I need you to get involved since you've got such a good connection with them. I don't know whether we should let them know the reason behind this or even show them the video."

"We'll figure something out sir. But right now we should get back to the mansion. I'll plan out something that will work for both sides."

"Yes. We should get back as soon as possible." Fuyuhiko turned towards the door.

"Oh wait sir. What about Takahashi's family?"

"Have your men transfer them safely to my home. Its safer for them there."

"Yes sir."

The two exited the cell. The moustache cop grumpily removed the cuffs from Tadao under the orders of a higher ranking officer. The Usami entourage and Fuyuhiko quickly moved towards the exit, but were slowed down when a black haired man blocked their path without noticing.

Miyagi quickly grabbed the paid bill and stormed out towards the exit, outraged by the hefty fine. He paused midway to read the paid infringement bill, oblivious to the group of men behind him.

"Yoh! Oh Yoh Miyagi! You forgot your credit card!" The office worker called out while waving the blue card in the air.

"Hm? Oh." The professor grunted before turning back to the counter to pick up his card. He jerked slightly at the men who reminded him of a yakuza clan from a movie.

Fuyuhiko eye's lit when the woman mentioned the name Miyagi. That reminded him of something. He curiously dug into his brain as he walked outside with his men. Tadao opened the car door for his boss. His other men hopped into their respective cars, waiting. Fuyuhiko glanced towards the police station entrance.

"Everything okay sir?" Tadao noticed his boss's restless behavior.

"That man was called Miyagi. I think I heard that name from somewhere…"

And that was when Fuyuhiko suddenly remembered. The image of Shinobu's bloodied pummeled face and desperate plea flooded his mind. The dirty blond bravely stood against his captor to save his friend from being whipped the second time. For his bold move, Fuyuhiko promised to find this Miyagi person. He felt accountable for their suffering. The old man waited for the man to exit. The night was late, nobody was nearby. Cold air whirled past them, collecting up dust and rubbish debris along the way.

Miyagi finally exited, he held a phone out in his hand, ready to call a taxi. Until he was interrupted by an old man standing by a black luxury car. He noticed his cell mate by the car door.

"Miyagi? Is that your name?" the old man called out.

"How do you know my name?"

"Come closer I need to speak with you privately."

Miyagi hesitated at first but since they were in front of police station, what harm could it bring him. Unsure to why the old man wanted to speak to him, he complied and sauntered towards him.

"What is it?" He appeared languid and dreary from alcohol intoxication.

"Do you know a boy named Shinobu?"

The professor's eyes widened to the fullest. He raised his arms to collar grab the old man. "Who the hell are you?! What have you done to him!" Miyagi shouted in his face while shaking him. The Usami guards quickly jumped out of their vehicles to protect their boss. But Tadao intercepted instead, the guard placed his hand on the professor's shoulder.

"He hasn't done anything. Shinobu is alive."

"Alive?! Where is he then?!"

"He's not here I'm afraid. But please let go of my boss. We'll explain what happened to you if you please refrain your behavior."

Miyagi glared at Tadao, then to the old man before releasing. "Fine. Tell me everything. And I mean it."

"It would be better if we discuss this in the car," Fuyuhiko suggested. The old man adjusted his tie and collar with both his hands while rubbing his neck. He hated it when his body was shaken like a ragdoll, especially by commoners.

"I don't hop into cars with strangers unless you tell me who you people are."

"My name is Usami Fuyuhiko. Now do you want to know the whereabouts of your friend or not?"

"Usami?! The owner of Usami Corporations?"

"Yes. That's my name. If you could please. I don't have all day. I'm a busy man."

"Fine. But you better spit it out." Miyagi pointed rudely at the old man's face before entering the other side of the car.

"Where are you headed?" Tadao asked with his eyes gazing towards the front mirror reflection of the professor.

"Home."

"We'll drop you off." Fuyuhiko offered.

"Just drop me off at (A.N/A street near Miyagi's apartment)."

"Alright." Tadao set the GPS and begun to drive.

"Let's get straight to the point. Where is Shinobu and how do you know where he is? What's your connection to this?"

"It's complicated. But the only reason I'm telling you this is because Shinobu pleaded me to. And no I don't have him. He had unfortunately ended up in Italy." Fuyuhiko paused with his hand covering his mouth as he contemplated momentarily.

"Italy?! What evidence do you have to support this?"

"How should I explain this?" Fuyuhiko didn't even planned to reveal the whole drama to a stranger. In fact he didn't even want to inform Miyagi in the first place, but for some reason something behind his back prompted him to do it. "Tadao will the video explain everything?"

"What video?"

Tadao shrugged. "I guess but it's painful to watch."

"What's painful?! Tell me spit it out already! Did something bad happen to him?!" Miyagi frantically exclaimed.

"Miyagi. Do you remember the two Mitsuhashi University students that went missing? I'm sure you would know them. They were both on the news."

"Yes I'm aware. I'm a professor at that University."

"That's a surprise. Well Shinobu and Misaki were victims of a madman in Italy. We have the top forensics and trained agents working on this case. A disturbing video chat was sent since we have a connection to Misaki. Shinobu happened to be involved. He told me tell you where he was. That's all I can tell you I'm sorry."

"You have to tell me everything. Don't hide this! I need to know if he is safe."

"He is alive. But his condition is severe. He was physically assaulted. Like I said we've got the best team searching for them. We'll let you know if we found him. Right now this remains classified."

"Classified?! Shinobu needs me! I'll travel to Italy if I need to!"

"Look here. I don't know your relationship with this boy, but to me it sounds more than that. The madman owns his own syndicate, he'll gun you down if he finds you searching for him. This is a complex case. But this is all I can tell you. I'm sorry I have a lot on my mind. So please just take this information and reassure that we're looking for them."

"Let me see that video."

"I'm sorry. I can't let you."

"Show me the video. I won't tell anyone. I need to know if he's alive for real."

Miyagi's stubborn persistency reminded the old man of Akihiko. With that in mind, he already begun to miss his youngest son. Giving up to the man he acceded to his demands.

"Fine if it will stop you from asking me questions and that this conversation does not leave this car. Understood?"

"Only if you promise to show me that video."

"If you say so." Fuyuhiko removed a business card from his inner jacket and handed it to Miyagi. "Come by my place tomorrow evening when I'm not busy. I'll notify the guards to let you in. Your questions will be answered tomorrow."

Miyagi grunted and accepted the card. He viewed the labelled details to ensure that the address was printed on it before tucking it in his pant pocket.

"Out of curiosity. What is your relationship with this boy?"

"He's an important friend and my ex-brother in law."

"Hm. I thought he was your lover. I have two sons around your age and I know how they run about."

Miyagi blushed, he swayed his head elsewhere. Fuyuhiko noticed the man's reclusive behavior towards his remark.

"We're here." Tadao broke the uncomfortable silence.

The car came to a complete stop. "You better keep your word Usami," Miyagi adjured to the old man as he exited the vehicle.

"Just go." Fuyuhiko dismissed him with his wavering hand.

Miyagi disgruntled and closed the door, the Usami entourage drove off. Standing by the edge of the gutter, he took out the business card from his pocket. Staring down at the address, his fingers tenaciously gripped onto the card.

"Shinobu," he gritted.

[~¥~]

"Akihiko. Akihiko, wake up. Akihiko," Haruhiko's voice echoed into his ear.

The silver haired groaned in discomfort and twitched his body, an aching migraine pounded his skull as he awoke.

"Nghh where are we?" Akihiko mumbled. He opened his eyes instantly after remembering what happened. He swayed his panic-stricken violets orbs around the room. Akihiko had his wrists bounded by duct tape behind his back. His body laid sideways on the cold concrete floor. Haruhiko sat with his legs crossed, leaning against the wall, the older man's face glowering down at his brother. Takahiro huddled himself in the corner, distraught by the situation they were in. The room they were held in was a cramped tool storage room. Brown walls were degraded, old and dilapidated. Metal shelf racks lined the walls including the center of the room.

"Well here's one explanation, you moron. Our death place! Thanks to you and Takahashi." Haruhiko snarled with his teeth grinding.

Akihiko position himself to sit up with his strength. "I never asked you to come. So shut your mouth."

"I can't leave my family behind. Oh Manami, Mahiro," Takahiro grieved to himself.

"We'll escape somehow. Misaki needs us. I'm not giving up."

"And how are we going to do that Akihiko? Our hands are bound, we got a crybaby in the corner, a useless author and an architect. It's not like we'll be rescued in time. There's no point. We're not fighters."

"Say what you want. I have to find Misaki." Akihiko glanced around the room, until he spotted a medium motorized engine part on the lower shelf. A protruding thin cog was attached to a mechanical rotary part. He gasped in surprise and begun to shift his body with the assistance of his legs and fists to the center shelf.

"What are you doing now?" Haruhiko frowned.

"I may not be trained in how to fight. But that doesn't stop me fighting for whom I love." Akihiko turned his back and vigorously rubbed the tape against the thin metal cog. "Don't you have someone worth fighting for?" Akihiko turned to the two. "Takahiro will you fight to see your family again? They need you. Your son would want to grow up with a father in his life. Don't deprive him of that. And Haruhiko, are you going to leave Jiro locked in that mansion for the rest of his life? The only reason father let him stay in a proper room was because of you. He needs you. Are you going to abandon him to a life of solitary? For Misaki, I'd rather die trying than doing nothing."

Haruhiko's expression turned blank towards the floor. Vivid imaginations of Jiro's shy, aggressive and jovial demeanor filled his mind. Misaki's brother turned his weeping face to his best friend.

"Your right Usagi. My family needs me." Takahiro sniffled, a sense of determination prompted him to remain strong. His death shall not be in vain. He'll fight for his family and for all the Takahashis.

Finally the tape teared from Akihiko's wrist. "I'm free." Their faces lit up brightly after they found some hope in escaping. Akihiko hurriedly peeled of the remaining tape before moving to free the others.

"Quick Akihiko before they come." Haruhiko turned his body to allow his brother to shred off the tape. Takahiro shuffled towards the two. "Quick free me too Usagi."All of their bounds were removed, they freely rubbed their wrists before standing up.

"Okay what's the plan now?" Haruhiko asked his brother.

"Escape."

"Wow." The older man scoffed sarcastically. "Do we have a plan on how to take out the underlings?"

"Why not sneak out or surprise attack them when they come in?" Takahiro suggested.

"Good idea Takahiro. We'll knock them out when they come in. I'll act as a distraction, you two find a weapon and attack them from behind," the silver haired directed. "Let's just hope this works."

The two nodded and scrambled to search for a weapon. "What sort of criminals leaves their victims in a tool storage room?" Haruhiko said as he picked up a screwdriver. He placed it down after he imagined himself plunging the sharp metal object into their skulls while warm blood spurted out uncontrollably from the fleshy hole. He didn't have that sort of killer instinct in him, a blunter object would preferably be better. Takahiro found a thick rectangular wooden stick, he lifted it up to survey its effectiveness. Meanwhile Haruhiko found himself a lead pipe from the bottom wooden cupboards.

Indistinct murmurs were heard coming from the other side of the door. The three panicked, they needed to react fast. Takahiro and Haruhiko positioned themselves behind where the door would swing open. Their weapons ready in an attack stance. Akihiko pretended to be bound on the floor, he sat with his legs crossed, head bowed down.

The door swung open, almost smacking against the faces of the two. In came three underlings, two average sized and one giant wrestling brute wearing a black bandanna leading in front.

"Move them to the other empty room before they wake up. The lady and others will be back soon," the brute ordered. The underling group turned their attention to Akihiko who gazed up to the leader and smirked pugnaciously.

"Well well, if it isn't the Great Usami…"

While the two underlings were busy focusing on their leader disparaging Akihiko, Takahiro and Haruhiko quietly closed the door and tip toed behind them. Raising their weapons they walloped it against the back of their heads.

Bonk, Bock

The two underlings were knocked out, their limp bodies crashed down towards the floor. "What the?" The brute swiftly turned around to find his men on the floor.

"This is for Misaki!" Takahiro charged forward along with Haruhiko onto their next target.

Tock, Thwack, Tock, Thwack

They repeatedly beat their weapons onto his steroid infused bulky chest. "Hehehehe," he chortled deeply. "Is that all you got? You worthless maggots." The brute grinned maliciously before snatching their weapons off as if they were merely matchsticks and tossing it aside. Takahiro and Haruhiko eyes widened, their effort to neutralize their enemy had failed miserably. Left with their bare fists, Takahiro punched his stomach while Haruhiko attempted to tackle the large man. Pestered by their ticklish assault, the brute grinded his teeth and grabbed the two by their throats before lifting them up. Their legs dangled in air as their esophagus was crushed by the strong gripping hands.

"Aki—Ak." Haruhiko choked out. His hands flailed around, trying to detach the brute's hand off from his neck.

"Usar—g."

Tock

The brute's brown eyes widened to the fullest before rolling back up his skull, revealing the white sclera. The brawny man leg's wobbled, his hand released their throats before collapsing. Haruhiko and Takahiro moved aside while gasping for air to let the brute plummet towards the ground. They turned their heads to find Akihiko with a metal mallet, his face apoplectic with rage. Eyebrows furrowed at the fallen enemies who dared to harm his brothers. Not only that, those who were involved with Armel were to be punished. Akihiko sought retribution for his Misaki.

"Akihiko, Akihiko." His brother called out him, but the silver haired remained lost in his thought. His hands held onto the mallet tightly as if he were about to harm someone with it.

"Usagi-san! We have to go now!" Takahiro's loud voice awoke Akihiko from his deep emotional thoughts.

The silver haired lowered the weapon to his side. His enraged expression reclined into a stern look. "Let's search them and get the hell out of here. He did say more were on their way here. We have to hurry."

The three kneeled down and patted each unconscious individual, searching for anything usable. "Look what I found in this guy's jacket," Haruhiko lifted up the black pistol. "A gun. This may come in handy."

"Take it. I found keys in this guy's pants. Nothing much. What about you Taka?"

"Nothing besides a half eaten cookie in his pocket."

Haruhiko's face grimaced in disgust at the unhygienic storage method of the underling.

"They're wearing rubber boots," Takahiro noticed.

"What are you implying?" Haruhiko questioned with slight disinterest.

"We're either in a dock or we're in the meat factory where they'll mince you up. Haven't you seen Criminal Investigation on TV? That's how the mafia kill you."

The Usami brothers jerked at the statement. "Then we have to get the hell out of here." The last thing Akihiko wanted was to be diced alive into red raw mince.

"Let's just sneak out quietly. There could be more of them out there. I've been duck hunting in my spare time for quite some time. Firing a handgun should be easier than a rifle. You two use whatever you can find here for now," Haruhiko suggested. He checked the ammo cartilage to see if it was loaded. Indeed it was and he felt more confident in escaping.

"I'm comfortable with this metal mallet. Wait you used to shoot little ducks?"

"You got a problem with that? You two ready?"

"Yeah I'm using this wooden stick." Takahiro raised his chosen weapon for defense.

"Okay who heads out first?" Haruhiko asked. Akihiko and Takahiro turned their heads to stare at him.

"The guy with the gun of course," Akihiko pointed the obvious.

"Fine," Haruhiko grunted. "Just stick close. We move quickly and silently. Let's go."

The three rose from their spots, armed with their weapons. They moved towards the door with Haruhiko leading in front. Slowly opening the door, he popped his head out to quickly glance around the area. Old wooden, decrepit engineless boats stacked on top of each other. Oars, ropes, anchors and fish nets hung along the top rail ceiling. No other enemies were seen in the premises.

"Your right Takahashi, this is a dock," Haruhiko whispered.

"Phew," Akihiko sighed under his breath. Thank goodness this wasn't a mincing factory.

"Why would they bring us here?" Takahiro whispered to Akihiko.

"I don't know but let's keep moving."

"Hahahah. I win!" A loud male voice resonated through the dark wooden shacked halls.

The three immediately ducked down behind a stacked kayak. Crouching down they peeked through the gaps to observe where the laughter was coming from. The muffled conversation was nearby but at the other side, coming from another room.

"Shit there's more," Akihiko cursed.

"I don't think they're coming out though," Haruhiko assumed.

"Look guys an exit over there. I can see light under the door." Takahiro pointed behind them.

"Where." Akihiko and Haruhiko motioned their heads to where the other man was pointing.

"An exit. Let's go," Haruhiko whispered. He took one last peek before advancing towards the door. The other two followed behind him, tip toeing silently as a mouse. Their eyes swayed around, left and right, scanning for any presence of the underlings. Haruhiko arrived at the door, he turned the knob and slowly opened to peek outside. With everything clear the three ran outside, shutting the door softly behind them. Their eyes widened when they witnessed their surroundings.

Seagulls flew in the cool wind, rolling waves crashed against the pier, the sun shone brightly while the scent of the ocean tainted the fresh air. They were at a dock, two extending wooden piers were seen, thick brown ropes and anchors laid scattered around the deck. No guarding enemies were seen nearby and the three sighed in relief. Their escape was easier than they thought, or was it?

"No how are we suppose to get out of here. We can't take the front that's for sure. It's probably heavily guarded," Haruhiko said while rubbing his chin as he contemplated.

"We'll take a boat home," Akihiko suggested, he paced towards the pier. He examined the area for any marine vehicles. "There's no boats only a…" The silver haired frowned upon seeing their only source of transport; an oak wooden dinghy tied to a wooden pillar, floating on the waves, only big enough to fit three men. This was going to be one hell of a ride.

"Well that might work," Takahiro said as he stood by Akihiko along with Haruhiko.

"We need to hurry that will do. We don't even know if we're on Japan or an island. We just need to travel along the shore and contact for help if we find a house or town. Come on let's go, we're idling too much." Haruhiko said.

The three jogged down the wooden creaky steps and to a platform where they attempted to board the dinghy. Akihiko pulled the wooden small boat towards them by roping it in closer. They placed their weapons in the holding compartment. Haruhiko hopped in first, the dinghy rocked unsteadily for few seconds before normalizing. Takahiro was next, Akihiko held onto the edge to prevent it from drifting away as he hopped on. Finally it was his turn to jump in with the other two. Once in he was greeted with staring eyes.

"What?"

"You forgot to untie the dinghy," Takahiro pointed to the rope.

"Useless."

Akihiko shot a glare at his brother before untying the knotted ropes on the dinghy's nose.

"Does anyone here know how to paddle?" Takahiro held up the pair of plastic oars. The three glanced at each other, back and forth, all heads shook.

"No," the Usami brothers denied in unison.

Dread came when they realized the dinghy was already being carried away by the ebbing waves from the oyster covered wooden pier.

"You paddle Takahiro! Your in the middle!" Akihiko panicked.

"Normal people like you should know how to operate this!" Haruhiko added to the hysteria.

"I'm normal?"

"Takahiro, you of all people should know that the Usamis are not raised for these type of things. Haven't you been fishing before?"

"Usagi-san I was raised in a city. I've only held a fishing pole with my father one time. I had never done this in my whole life before."

"Well do something Takahashi cause we're drifting away to the ocean!"

"Gahh!" Takahiro groaned in disbelief over the matter. The man placed each oar onto its hook, dipping the head into the agitated waters before rotating the oars simultaneously.

"I think we're meant to turn that way Takahashi. Your taking us further away."

"I'm trying. This is harder than you think."

"Just get us to shore Takahiro, we need to land somewhere away from that dock, then we can walk from there."

Takahiro stopped on one side of the oar and paddled with the other, hoping to turn the dinghy at a certain angle. Inexperienced with this, he unintentionally maneuvered the small wooden boat three-sixty degrees.

"We're going around Takahashi."

"I know," Takahiro gritted in frustration. Beads of sweat perfused from his forehead. The workload was excruciating and required a lot of stamina and endurance to paddle against the water tension.

"I think I'm going to throw up." Akihiko's face paled as he held onto the sides of the rocking dinghy.

"I got the angle," Takahiro grinned in triumph after a couple of times spinning around. With both oars, he propelled them in a circular motion at the same time, plopping in and out of the water. "I got this guys. I can do it. Takahiro glanced at the brothers, his contented demeanor soon faded after seeing their pale green zombie complexion, moaning weakly as if they were about to vomit. "Sorry guys." Takahiro apologized and continued rowing against the swelling tides.

The speed they were travelling at was equivalent to a person ambling along the beach. They needed to get as far away as possible. Takahiro continued to travel closely along to the shore. So far only thick green vegetation were seen, no signs of civilization had yet been discovered. The sun was hot and humid, Takahiro begun to feel dehydrated, all of his energy was being drained away by the strenuous activity. The Usami brothers sunk against the edge of the boat, sea sick from the constant wobbling. They were unable to throw up since there was no food in their stomachs.

After ten minutes of non-stop rowing Takahiro was exhausted, he panted heavily for air, his mouth dry. "Guys should we just walk from here? I'm dying."

"Ngghh yes please." The Usami brothers moaned like ill patients in a hospital demanding for morphine.

"Okay we're going to shore now," Takahiro mumbled weakly. He was too tired to even properly speak. He sculled with one oar, rotating the dinghy once again to get the right angle.

"Eghnnm," the Usami brothers moaned sickly as the dinghy turned. Takahiro was getting the hang off this, he was able to correctly angle where he was going. With all the energy left in his body he rowed until the dinghy landed on the white sandy beach.

"Arghhh finally!" Takahiro cried in extreme relief. His sore aching arms limped down, he collapsed against Akihiko's back. "I'm sorry Usagi-san I'm too tired to even move."

The three listlessly sat there, unable to gather enough energy to hop off from the stationed dinghy. After a few minutes, Haruhiko rolled off to the side, face planting onto the shoreline. Salt water washed gently back and forth, soaking his office attire and drenching his anterior body. The cold water felt nice and he laid there in serene relaxation. With the headache and dizziness subsiding, he collected himself up from the wet sand and dusted off the adhering sandy particles. He turned to the two men pathetically slumping down towards the front of the dinghy.

"Oi you morons let's go. They're probably searching for us. We need to get off this beach. Akihiko oi!" Haruhiko staggered to the two, he kneeled down to drag them both out of the small boat to purposely wet them.

"Haru!" Akihiko complained. Though despite his protests, he actually begun to feel better after his face was cooled down by the salty water. Takahiro felt the same, his energy slowly regenerated. Eventually all three were revitalized back to life, they gathered their respective weapons before turning to face the tall dense green luscious forest.

"Where on Earth are we?" Akihiko consternated. The abundance of lush flora was foreign to him.

"It seems too green and tropical to be Japan. How long were we out for? Wait do we still have our phones." Haruhiko patted his pockets, he growled in frustration after being unable to find his electronic device or wallet. "Damn, they took away everything."

"Gu—ys I'm thirsty, lets go find a freshwater stream or something," Takahiro panted with his tongue hanging out. He wiped his sweat covered forehead and traipsed towards the tree covered shade. Each step created a crunching sound as his foot walked over the grainy, shell covered sand.

"We should get off this beach. Maybe there's a road after we cross this jungle mess," Haruhiko suggested. "Akihiko, what do you think?"

"They probably found out that we have escaped by now. Lets go, if there's a dock, there should at least be a village. We have no choice. The longer we wait, the sooner they'll find us."

"Are we just going to leave the boat there? They may track us down easier. Lets just push it back into the water as a distraction."

"No point, our footprints are already on this beach."

"Idiot just push it and we can bury our tracks. We don't have time so lets do it now."

"Fine!" Akihiko snapped and grumpily stomped back to the dinghy with his brother. Together they quickly pushed the small boat back into the water, hoping that the enemy would gullibly take the bait. Once that was done, they swiped the sand with their foots to cover their tracks as they head back up to the mainland.

"Takahiro lets go now," Akihiko waved to his lethargic friend resting against a stumpy tree. The tired man, slowly rose from his comfortable sandy grass bed to follow the Usami brothers into the deep forest.

Three city-born men in an unknown exotic land. This was going to be hell.

Meanwhile at the dock.

"Escaped?! How can they escape?! I come back from my spa treatment and I hear this!" The woman barked at the group of underlings who were ordered to watch over their captives. The five men kneeled below the superior female, trembling in immense fear.

"Please boss. We've told you they got free and attacked us, and took the small boat—," the men tried to redeem themselves.

"SILENCE!" she roared. The woman flicked her long white platinum blond hair off her shoulder. "The big boss whom you all know; Armel wants to come over to personally behead the Usami brothers. But that can't happen until they are back here. So you have less than twenty four hours to find them, or I'll behead you all for disappointing him. Understood?"

"Yes boss," the underlings nodded their heads simultaneously. "We'll find them and bring them back alive."

"Good boys. Remember they cannot leave this island nor can they come in contact with the locals. Now go and find them!"

"Yes boss!"


	16. Chapter 16 The Hunted

Hey guys, sorry for the super-duper late update. I was on a GLA proofreading and edit ~45K left -busy with another fanfic- enjoying holiday-hiatus.

Thank you for your lovely support. Sorry, but I did not abandon this fanfic. One more thing, thank you my recurrent reviewers, you are my motivation. And thank you accecakes for your wonderful fanart, would have never thought someone would draw me one. Thank you. I will cherish it forever!

Since it was such a long time, I'll update you on the events so far.

Previously of GLA in point form.

[0]Haruhiko, Akihiko and Takahiro captured, wakes up on an unknown land

[0]Miyagi, Tadao and Fuyuhiko cross path, invited to mansion to reveal Shinobu's whereabouts.

[0]Armel, wanting revenge on Shinobu for ruining his web-cam chat by investigating his relationship with Miyagi

[0] Yukihiko, orders her underlings to search for the escaped three. Armel wants to make a dangerous move to behead the Usami brothers.

The following chapter I have researched the best I could, but please heed that this is fiction and is not entirely accurate.

It was difficult trying to write a three way conversation. So, Haruhiko calls Takahiro: Takahashi. Akihiko calls Takahiro: Takahiro of course. Takahiro calls Haruhiko: ( To be decided, I need your help).

So good luck reading!

* * *

 **{~0~}**

 **The Hunted**

(09:46AM Japan: 2:46AM Italy)

Tadao chugged down his fifth shot of adrenalizing coffee while conversing on a phone with the Superintendent General of the Police Force, aka his ex-boss…and uncle. Seated in a twirling chair within Fuyuhiko's office, his fingers moved up to rub his heavy eyelids. Two days of improper rest had resulted in blood shot sclera and dark circles under his eyes. Fuyuhiko was also present in his own office, he sat in his usual spot behind the table. Sadness was written throughout his wrinkled face as he stared down blankly onto the table with his hands intertwined. His world had been upturned overnight. All of this could have been prevented if not for his rapacious ways. Guilt had initially swallowed him, but anger had given him the strength to tear free from its grasp. His conscious now remains worried on the condition of the three men, well mainly his sons. Natural paternal instincts begun to run through his head. Were they hurt? Tortured? Fed? Kept warm? What happens if he lost them? Fuyuhiko swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Life wasn't fair if death wishes to claim his sons before him. No parent should ever have to bury their own child. While the world continued to move on about their daily lives, Fuyuhiko would be mourning. Grey clouds and rain drizzled to shroud all sunlight. Black umbrellas spanned in the air while flowers wilted on stone graves. This was the future he feared. Death. Emptiness. Loneliness. The only way to avert this outcome was to concentrate all power towards investigation and search parties. Although a few problems had arisen along the way.

"Well I've managed to convince him to give a speech you've recommended to the media. He'll present it at noon." Tadao placed down the phone on the table. He slumped back against the chair to cover his forehead with his palm, sighing wearily in stress.

"Good," Fuyuhiko replied flatly.

Tadao swirled his chair to face his boss. "You should get some rest sir. The public is demanding a confirmation response from you. Usami Corporations is brimming with journalists and reporters. Best to put up a convincing display."

Fuyuhiko grunted. He rose feebly from his desk, jaded from lack of sleep.

"Sir do you need help? I'll call in Tanaka," Tadao stood up as quickly as he could to lend out a hand for the old man.

"No. I'm fine…just…you go rest too. You've done a lot to help…I need to clear my mind for a bit. Tell Tanaka and the others not to disturb me. Wake me up when its time to go."

"Yes sir. I'll tell the others. Go rest…"

The old man grunted in response before moving off towards his bedroom. Once inside his quiet private quarters he sat down on the edge of his king sized bed. Despite how richly decorated his room was compared to a commoner, it felt empty and lifeless. There was no wife, no children to warm the cold atmosphere, just him, sometimes his dog. Arching forward, Fuyuhiko pulled open his bedside drawer to pick out a medium picture frame. Bringing it up to a visible level, his eyes sorrowfully gazed down onto a family portrait. The photo consisted of a younger Fuyuhiko dressed in his usual ravishing suit and Akihiko's mother beside him. Her luxuriant silver hair flowed beautifully pass her molded bosoms and serrating above the hips. She wore a cream fitted dress, sewn from the finest silk. Behind the couple stood the Usami brothers within their early teens. There was a bitter distance between all of them and smiles were reduced to a weak line, as if they were forced to gather for the photoshoot, that there was no meaning to it besides the aura of misery. Fuyuhiko wanted an updated version of when his boys had grown up, however a lot has changed since then. To bring back everyone…maybe not his ex-wife, was impossible. The meaning of 'family' for the Usamis was dust. Holding the photo closer to his beating chest, Fuyuhiko closed his eyes to pray.

Downstairs in the guest room Tanaka kindly offered Manami tea, but the woman declined with a shaking bowed head while holding onto several layers of tissues. She had withdrawn herself into a deep grieving process, shunning out all contact around her. Mahiro remained close by, however the toddler was too young to understand what was happening, his playtime prioritized. The boy indulged himself on Alexander's soft fur, cooing and bundling the fuzz with his tiny fists.

"Mrs Takahashi, are you sure you don't want something to eat? I'm worried about your health." Manami shook her head again. She was in no mood to eat, for her husband was not by her side.

During the night Manami and her son were transported to the Usami mansion, Fuyuhiko personally informed her on the kidnapping. Her reaction was a shocked expression before breaking down, desperately pleading for him to rescue her husband. Fuyuhiko made a promise, but it was one that he cannot guarantee. Tadao and his diligent team had been working hard all night, communicating back and forth with specialized forensic teams and the police force.

After the crime scene was sealed off for investigation, journalists came flocking in with their camera crew. They tailed the police and Usami guards for answers, hollering out questions and jabbing their karaoke sticks in front of their faces despite the constant turndown. Desperate, they then sought the information from locals who spluttered out vague accounts of their experience, insufficient for a top-leading story. That was when the power of social media came in handy. Yep…Miko's photo with Akihiko by her side was found. Her friends had notified the whole world about this upload after the news revealed that a siege had occurred down at the Kuwawa Orphanage. Frankly everyone loves a dramatic story about famous people, thus comes the invasive probing of the Usami's personal life from the public media. Nosey people begun to question Akihiko's involvement at the orphanage and the attacker's motive, prompting a major headline even before a proper explanation was given.

As network channels unleashed their army of investigating journalists and photographers, Fuyuhiko must defiantly stand upright to protect his family and the boys in Italy. Their reputation and the safety of Misaki and Shinobu were at stake. This was a private matter. No one must know the feud. Armel may kill the boys, in fact without doubt if his identity was exposed to the public without his consent. Right now Armel had the upper hand. He had the Usami brothers and the boys under his cruel foot. Fuyuhiko had to quarantine this madness spiraling out of control. Luckily, the old man yielded influential wealth and powerful connections to silence and distort the news. Fuyuhiko and the Superintendent General will be presenting a disclosure speech today to bury this virulent gossip.

Miko was the only viable witness subjected to the media's relenting pries. She could not stumble outside for a moment before getting tagged or horded by a crowd. Her life had been cornered to solitary, unable to tell reveal the truth. Miko had been persuaded by Fuyuhiko in agreeing with his terms and public announcement. The woman wasn't necessarily threatened, but she was bribed and alerted about the dangers her spouting mouth could do to his sons. Like an animal trapped in a eyeing cage, she was monitored and put under surveillance. This was how serious it was.

Right now their objective was to find the three men, hush the restless media and then eradicate the lurking threat in their territory. They do not know who and where Armel was yet, therefore they cannot advance to a rescue mission. Yes they know his past identity but his current name in Italy remains different to the one in Japan. The adoption record was never found, the underlings must of took it during the kidnap. This made it harder for them to trace back to the father of origin. Even the government databases did not have access to who this man was. It was done in secret. In the same night, a group of interrogating forces was sent to question Miko and her relatives on whether they had recalled any memory of Armel's father. The reply noted was a handsome man named Richard Haydeedee. The Kuwawas had difficulties pronouncing his foreign last name, this led them to nowhere but a list of mismatches. The only hope in uncovering Richard's true name was from the three men, if they could come out alive from this…

[~¥~]

"This isn't Japan. It's a bloody rainforest. Which means they took us down near the Southern China or Philippine seas." Haruhiko stated.

The three city men trekked through the dense and vibrant rainforest. Green moss predominated, covering rocks, logs and even primeval cedars. Mighty trees grew out of proportion, it's architect disfigured, as if it were sculpted by some demented artist. Epiphytes, vines, including moss peppered with fruiting bodies draped off from the trunk of trees. Massive roots projected above the ground creating small hollow mud caves for feral critters. Bark and damp decaying leaf matter bedded the forest floor, along with fallen twigs, mushrooms, ants and other crawling insects. The atmosphere was hounded by the constant clicking and squawking noises of abundant wildlife. Tree branches extended to the blue skies, aggregating with green foliage and creating a thick canopy layer.

Down on the forest floor, light penetrability was reduced, resulting in promotion of mold and fungal growth. The forest floor was where all the harmful creatures lingered, scouring for their prey. In this case the three men were the scrumptious rats and the underlings were the voracious hunters. The three headed straight in an unknown direction, hoping to at least come across to a road or settlement. It had only been ten minutes into the mainland and they were already grimacing at the sight of their bemired shoes. Empty stomachs churned in disgust with every soggy step they took. The appearance of the forest floor reminded them of a feculent bog despite it being gritty soil. The once and mighty affluent Usami brothers were now divested of their luxury comfort and casted into the wild. Even worse the three had no experience in survival, nor even acquired the set knowledge or skills to combat the forces of nature.

"They can't take us down here in one night. Is it even possible?" Takahiro queried, his head spun directionally.

"It's possible if we were drugged," Akihiko shrugged as he suggested. He skipped over a moss covered rock.

"But shouldn't we feel the after effects of the drug?"

"Maybe it was a sleeping pill." Haruhiko added. The older Usami hopped over a small fallen log blocking their path. The other two following behind repeated his movement before resuming back to walking normally.

"Does this island even have locals? It's so warm down here, Usagi-san, I'm thirsty." Takahiro panted while his hand brushed along an ancient tree that stood to the sky, making them feel like miniature ants.

"Takahiro we will find water when we find a town or a house. If there's a dock then a road shouldn't be far."

"Yeah I guess I can hold it." The determination to find Misaki and return home safely back to his family kept him moving. However motivation does not last for long, they cannot foolishly act on how they feel. Hunger, thirst and exhaustion were catching up. They would need to succumb to their bodies demands if they were to survive.

Their upper bodies slouched forward as they continued to hike up a steep hill. "Goddamn this place has so many hills!" Haruhiko grumbled. The older Usami gripped onto a pendulous vine to help assist him up. Ferns smothered his face despite his attempts to slap it aside. "Fuck off!" He might just as well kiss it. Being in the lead was frustrating since he had to confront all of the face-smacking plants that could be infested with bugs, snakes or tangling webs. A machete would be nice to own right now. A piece of wood and mallet was no use, therefore the tools were abandoned for ease of travel. Akihiko being in the middle, guided his weary friend up with stretching arms. Finally they reached the top of the hill, exhausted.

"It's still bloody green. I can't see where we're heading," Haruhiko panted heavily. Every direction was covered in thick vegetation. No matter where they looked the forest was entangled with hues of green and brown, completely disorientating for their sight. "Are we even going the right way? A road shouldn't be this far. Unless you chose the wrong side Takahashi."

"I can't see which direction the road was," Takahiro defended tiredly.

"Oi, lets just keep going. Its not Takahiro's fault in which side he choses. So stop your complaining!"

"I'm not complaining you idiot, I'm stating a fact!" Haruhiko retorted with a scowl.

"The tone of your voice is condescending!"

"Condescending?! You're the one accusing me of complaining!"

"Because that's all you do!" Akihito rudely pointed in front of his face.

"Guys stop arguing." Takahiro's remark was disregarded by the two.

"Fine you want to hear me complain? Well here's one for starters, you lose Misaki because you can't even look after yourself. You get us kidnapped because your emotional and now we're in the middle of nowhere. All because of YOU!"

That was when Akihiko snapped, Haruhiko had crossed the line. The silver haired lunged to hurl a punch at his brother's cheek, however the older man anticipated his movement and jerked back, resulting in an impact to his shoulder region instead. Haruhiko grunted from the pain, but anger surpassed his suffering to invoke a violent retaliation. The older Usami advanced forward to the glaring man with a forceful punch. Akihiko blocked it aside before charging in to tackle his chest. Haruhiko secured his feet into the ground to push back, hence the two wrestled in front of a bewildered Takahashi.

"GUY STOP!" Takahiro forced himself in between the two brawling brothers to separate them. Clearly their current situation and harsh climate made them all truculent. "For goodness sakes, you two have the worst brother relationship I have EVER seen! I don't know what complex past you two had. But I hope it didn't have something to do with jealously or greed! Because that's the worst excuse for your rivalry! YOUR BROTHERS!" Takahiro vehemently shouted. "Misaki was taken from me! Who knows what that bastard is doing to him! I could lose him any day, but you two…you two still have each other." His eyes downcast when his voice softened. "And I would do anything to bring my only little brother back…" The Usami brothers could see the tears swelling within his eyes. Takahiro returned his head back up to disappointingly glower at the two. "So stop this argument, grow up and fix it! I bet you two can't even apologize to each other."

With that said Takahiro spun his heel to walk off, leaving the brothers speechless. Could they even apologize to each other? Vexing eyes glanced to each other, waiting for either one of them to make an apology.

"Uh…I—," Haruhiko attempted.

"Let's go, your making me feel weird," Akihiko interrupted bluntly. The silver haired continued after his friend with his hands in his pockets.

"Your right." The older Usami maintained his pride.

The Usami brothers had ridiculously failed to amend their differences.

Forty minutes later, the three men found themselves travelling around irregular land formations, diverting them from a straight course and chewing up their valuable time. Humidity discomforted their usual air-con dependent lifestyle, dampening their entire body with sweat. Hands waved in front of their faces to swat away the flying insects drawn to their warm and sticky presence. They could feel their bodies wearing down the further they travelled. Arms sagged lower, tongues dried like sandpaper, legs felt heavy and their stomachs grumbled intermittently, calling for the delectable taste of rice and water. The heat was debilitating for their health, Haruhiko had disrobed his jacket to wrap it around his waist, using the sleeves to knot it together. This time he had chosen to remain behind the others. No more face smacking for him, now that it's Akihiko's turn to take the lead. Needless to say, the silver haired had it easier than his brother. Takahiro was smart enough to offer his friend a stick to help him swipe down any barricading flora blocking their path.

"Do rainforests appear this twisted? I mean look at the roots, they curve and twist. This place reminds me of the documentary I saw on Yaku—." Takahiro said but a strong rustling in the trees above their heads impeded their movement, halting them to a standstill. Frightened eyes immediately darted to the tree up in front of them, hoping whatever they were about to discover did not pose a threat to them.

"What the hell is up there?" Akihiko consternated. His heart raced. What happens if it was a man-eating snake? A tiger? Or even worse, a tree climbing underling! His fears were soon extinguished after seeing a fluffy grey primate surface from a bunch of oval leafs. Its long face was pale pink, almost red and surrounded by fuzzing grey fur. The small creature leapt onto an adjacent branch while enormous bulgy eyes remained locked onto the humans below it.

"Oh my god! That's a macaque!" Takahiro pointed dramatically. He quickly rubbed his sleeves across his glasses to confirm his sight.

"That is a macaque! In an island?! That means we're on an island near Japan or we still are in Japan!" Haruhiko could almost tear his hair off from a rush of euphoric thrill. All faces meet, mouths gaped in surprise, almost curving up to a full smile. This was good news.

"That explains the fast transport!" Akihiko clicked his fingers. Ideas begun to flick into his head to assemble the missing fragments together.

"They had more than six hours to transport us. That's plenty of time for them, even for Yakushima, one of the major islands for macaques as well. But apparently they're smaller than mainland macaques." Haruhiko lightly stroked his chin while thinking, his eyes stared at the animal now climbing up higher, distancing itself away from the superior 'primates' conversing loudly. He couldn't tell the difference. His knowledge was limited to 'macaque' only. Differentiating the sub-species would be impossible for a man who had spent most of his life in the city.

Same goes for Akihiko…expect for Takahiro. He knew what sub-species they were looking at, and there was only one place where you will find these macaques. "We're in Yakushima." The brothers turned to Takahiro who remained fixed on the grey primate.

"What makes you think we're on that island Takahiro?"

Takahiro returned his gaze to the brothers. "When me and my wife went to visit her grandmother, I saw a documentary on Japanese macaques. Compared to the mainland these ones are smaller and they have very dark hands and feet. Look at it." The man pointed directly. "They're almost black." Now all heads were back to the macaque cackling. The brothers squinted their eyes to inspect its characteristics. "See its dark. These Yaku macaques are indigenous here, and the terrain even proves it. Didn't you recognize the cedar trees?!"

"Your right Takahashi. The trees here are unique from other rainforests."

"Takahiro if we really are in Yakushima that means there will be Japanese locals here." Enlivened expressions grew on their faces. They had found hope in returning back home safely.

"And food, water, towns with hotels and cellphones," Haruhiko jabbered with a spurt of energy.

"Then we can call our old man for help!"

"Good idea! He should be able to rescue us in less than five hours. We need to find a phone and a place where those underlings will not find us."

"Shit, I forgot about those freaks," Akihiko gritted. This was going to be difficult than they thought, their confidence exuded away. The enemy was still out there, hunting. "Why don't we just steal a phone or borrow it from a wandering tourist?"

"What happens if they're disguising as tourists to lure us Usagi-san?"

"Would they do that?" Haruhiko asked.

"Damn, they could." Akihiko placed his hands on his hips to think. "Wait. I have an idea. We'll travel up higher grounds to see if we can spot a town. If we find a road we'll follow it closely but out of sight. If the underlings are driving on a road we won't be spotted. We can sneak into town when night has fallen. It should make it easier for us to either break into a home and use their cellphone. Or better, if there is a police station we'll head over there for protection. Everybody agree?"

"That sounds like that would work," Takahiro agreed.

"Its reasonable. We don't have much options unless we actually know we're in Yakushima," Haruhiko also agreed with their new plan.

"Lets just hope we are," Akihiko spoke with deep determination.

Faint droplets of rain tapped lightly on their shoulders, pitter pattering against the fabrics and leaving opaque dots.

"Hm? Is it raining?" Akihiko motioned his head towards the sky. Specks of grey clouds could seen through the gaps of the trees.

"It appears it is!" Haruhiko forked out his palm to feel the rain.

"Water!" Takahiro rejoiced with the biggest smile. His dry mouth yearned for the tasteless yet satisfying cool liquid.

The downpour increased in strength, soon the forest became drenched and the leaves glistened with a wet coat. Akihiko leaned his one meter stick against a tree. Cupping hands reached out to capture the falling droplets. Once filled to a certain point, the three slurped in the cold water to quench their thirst and replenish the fluids lost from dehydration.

"Ah, that's refreshing." Takahiro closed his eyes to bask his face under the rain. Their clothes absorbed in the fluid, soaking their attire. But the men didn't care, it watered down their perspiration, a free shower gifted from nature. Satiated, Akihiko bent down to pick up his stick that fell off from its upright position. Upon wrapping his fingers around the stick, a slimy black worm coiled on his index finger.

"Usagi-san leeech!" Takahiro shrieked after spotting the parasite attempting to seize its chance for a bloody meal. Akihiko's violet eyes lit to the fullest, his heart pounded at the sight of a leech lingering on his flesh. He dropped the stick and flicked his hand. The two jerked back as Akihiko tried to dislodge the slimy worm.

"Get it off me!"

"Usagi-san don't let it suck your blood!"

The silver haired shook his hand madly, causing the worm to fly off and splatter onto Haruhiko's jacket. The older Usami saw the leech adhere to his clothing like snot, he gasped in horror.

"You moron!"

Panicked eyes swayed around, searching for something to remove this vile abomination off his jacket. Takahiro scrambled in search for a twig while Akihiko self consciously inspected his finger for any signs of bleeding. Thank goodness no harm was done. He exhaled in relief. Meanwhile Haruhiko froze, he had learnt what leeches did in terms in theory, but to have one on his clothes right now, he hysterically died inside. Fuyuhiko really should of raised his sons properly, or at least enroll them into scouts when they were young. If he couldn't even buy a train ticket how was he suppose to survive out here? Forget Misaki, Jiro, Manami or anybody else, once they're out in the wild, it was fight or flight. Takahiro found a stick not far from his foot and paced back to Haruhiko who wouldn't even dare touch his jacket. "Hold still, I'm going to remove it." Misaki's brother carefully prodded the stick under the squishy creature. The leech detached onto the stick, allowing him to carry it away from the tensed man and dispose of it. He dusted his hands once the removal was completed.

"There it's gone."

Haruhiko's uptight posture relaxed, the worm was no longer on him. But shorty after, he decided to rebuke his younger brother for his careless actions. "Next time when you flick things, do it the other way!" Haruhiko roughly prodded Akihiko's shoulder.

"Try having that parasite on you before you can talk!"

"It was, because some idiot here doesn't know how to flick the other direction."

"It landed on your jacket, not your bare skin! Stop your whining!"

Just as when Haruhiko was about to foment another quarrel, Takahiro menacingly scowled at the two. The brothers reclined into disciplined children. Akihiko wondered on what triggered his friend's sudden change in behavior, it was out of character for him. He assumed that the main cause stemmed from Misaki's kidnapping. He knew that the man cherished his younger sibling with total adoration. Takahiro had even sacrificed his future to properly provide for Misaki, the two had developed an inseparable bond. But now his chance of seeing his little brother might come to an end, all thanks to that black-hearted scum in Italy. And to see the Usami brothers bicker over the smallest things while they still had each other, this probably irritated Takahiro to point where he had to remind them of their fortunate fate.

A moment of awkward silence came between the three, until Haruhiko noticed a larger leech writhe its way up his shoe.

"Fuck off!" He dragged his foot across the leaf matter. Again the parasite was off him. "Lets get out of here! The rain is enticing them out!"

Gasps broke, the three hopped wildly, almost jumping out of their skins when they realized that this was a rainforest, and in a terrain like this, prepare for the rise of the leeches.

"We should get moving," Akihiko suggested.

"As fast as we could too!" Haruhiko scrambled off, the rest followed after him without hesitation.

Meanwhile back in Japan, Mitsuhashi University.

Miyagi placed down his lunch tray on the cafeteria table, alongside him was the Dean of Literature and a few other staff, besides Hiroki. The associate professor was locked in his office, occupied by overwhelming workloads of paperwork, all thanks to his indolent professor. Miyagi was glad his colleague was elsewhere, that man's patience was fragile and his empathy had been deteriorating due to lack of sleep. Any more batches of paperwork and his demonic wrath would be chaotically released. Frankly Miyagi had no choice but to dump another set for Hiroki, he needed time off for tonight.

As the staff chattered on, the news popped up from a walled flat screen TV. The channel theme and the headline announcement caught everyone's attention. Streaming live was a conference given by the Superintendent General. Bright lights from clicking cameras attacked the short-grey haired old man with flashes. He collected an upright posture before delivering his speech.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, regarding to last night's incident, Kuwawa Orphanage was a site under siege between a masked gunman. The Usami brothers Akihiko and Haruhiko were present, along with a friend during the time of the attack. The three were on a visit relating to charity work for the orphanage when the gunman intruded in for targeted ransom. The gunman was shot dead by police force and the brothers were safely rescued. They escaped unharmed and are now under protective care from the public for some time. Analysis for the gunman's identity is yet to be done. Thank you." The old man swiveled around to leave the room, ignorant to the hurling questions that remained unanswered.

Miyagi could almost choke on his rice. No wonder Usami Fuyuhiko was at the police station last night. If this didn't happen, they would have never crossed paths, maybe this was meant to happen. The professor raised his wrist to check the time on his metallic watch. He counted each passing minute, aching for it to revolve faster.

"Come on," he muttered impatiently under his breath.

Back to the fantastic three.

"A road! Yes!" Takahiro bounced up with his arms spread wide, butterflying into the air. They had travelled for countless hours, hiking, climbing, fighting nature's elements, sprinting, crossing knee height creeks while a flash flood almost swept them off to their deaths, and lastly conquering a mammoth ravine.

"Yeesss, finally!" Akihiko fell to his knees to worship a trail to rescue. His breathing was erratic, a sign of enervation from the toughest journey of their life so far.

"About fucking time!" Haruhiko dropped on his back to rest, he let out a very long sigh of relief as his cramped muscles slackened. "I need food…badly, ha," the older Usami wheezed.

The three had safely discovered a dirt road amongst this rainforest. It may not be a main road constructed by gravel, but they had never felt so happy to see the works of human activity in the wild. The sun was already waning away, the storm had hindered their travels severely that they even had to seek cover under a rocky cave. Sadly they were chased out by an unwelcoming snake whom calls its den home sweet home. Indignantly, they were displaced of a dry environment, now they had wished the bladder full clouds would stop pissing. And it did, right before they had found the brown road.

Akihiko reclaimed his composure, although his legs felt irritably itchy from all the muck slathered on his pants, shoes and wet socks. "Okay we've found a road, lets follow it closely. We can use these—."

"Usagi, do you hear that?!" Takahiro interrupted. He could hear the faint noise of a motorized engine growing towards their direction.

"I hear it," The older Usami immediately lifted his upper body from his supine position. "We have to get off this road now!"

"Shit," The silver haired fisted his friend's collar to drag him off from a detectable view.

But it was too late.

Just as the three men were about to scuttle, a rider wearing a white helmet on his dirt motorbike emerged from around the arcing road in a distance. The biker spotted his target, he paused his transport to quickly pull out a black walkie-talkie from his inner jacket. "Found them boss, private road 17, Hirota."

"RUN! IT'S THE UNDERLINGS!" Akihiko shouted. The men hastily retreated into the forest for protection, running as fast as their legs could carry them downhill. Haruhiko removed the pistol from his belt, unclicking the safety knob as they fled together with the apprehensive fear of being captured again.

["Copy that, capture them alive. My men are on their way now."]

"Noted." The biker tucked away his communicative device to rev his engine, vrooming it threateningly. He angled the nose of the bike to the sky before riding in top speed towards them.

"Quickly!" Akihiko ushered them. How foolish were they to carelessly lay out in the open for the enemy to spot them.

As the game of cat and mouse began, the underling brought out his black handgun loaded with tranquilizing darts. With a killer appetite, he aimed at the figures running before shooting muzzled shots. These needles grazed pass the obscuring trees, alerting the men of the additional danger and the dire need to take cover.

"Arghh he's shooting at us!" Takahiro's stopped, he shielded himself behind the body of a tree, along with Haruhiko who stood directly beside him.

"Stay back, you'll get shot!" Akihiko ordered the other two. The silver haired was crouched under a fallen log nearby.

"I got this!" Haruhiko peeped an eye out to visualize a target spot. The underling had difficulties stabilizing his motorbike down a bumpy hill. Mustering all of his skills obtained from duck hunting during his leisure hours in their family backyard, Haruhiko aimed and shot several times. The first missed, the second scraped the headlights, the third missed again.

"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" Takahiro frantically jabbered. Their hearts raced, pounding with great intensity as they could hear the bike drawing into closer proximity. Akihiko held his breath, praying for hope, one more miss and they would need to scram for their lives.

Finally, Haruhiko shot his fourth.

"Arghhhhh!" The underling screamed as he flew pass them down a hill and tumbling into a sharp ditch with his vehicle. The older Usami had successfully popped his front tire, causing the bike to lose control. Troubled by the certainty of death based on velocity and heighten fall, the three rushed to gaze down at their attacker below, who laid prone and motionlessly with his limbs spread out an uncomfortable position.

"Is he dead?" Takahiro whispered to Akihiko. His hand moved to rest it on his friend's shoulder, anxious about what may happen next.

"I don't know. He may be knocked unconscious."

"Only one way to find out." Haruhiko descended, using his left arm to guide him down safely.

"Wait Haruhiko, he may be acting!" Akihiko cautiously warned.

"He won't be acting once I place this gun next to his head."

"Should we follow after him Usagi?"

"Might as well."

Treading closer to their enemy, the three surrounded him, armed to their teeth. Akihiko and Takahiro with a thick stick and Haruhiko with a gun. The older Usami kneeled to collar grab the underling and shook him violently.

"Who are you?! Where are we?! Tell us! You friggin piece of shit, low life scum!"

"Nghh," the biker moaned feebly. His arm twitched upwards.

"AHHH! He's alive!" The three jolted at the same time. Haruhiko dropped the man to jump back. Defensively, they reacted to give the man a taste of his own medicine by repeatedly beating him. Takahiro and Akihiko whacked the sticks with ruthless force onto his posterior side whereas Haruhiko stomped his shoulder, shrilling maniacally "…stay down, stay down, stay down!" The three men assailed the underling until they were worn out and huffing loudly. Their shoulders slouched over to catch a breath.

"Hah, ha,…Oi?" Akihiko poked the man's leg with the end of his stick. No response came from him.

"I think we got him," Takahiro spoke quietly.

"Let's see what this scum looks like." Haruhiko bent forward to remove the helmet before tossing it aside. "Fuck, he's ugly… beardy and unshaved. Typical mobster."

"We should check what this guy has on him." The silver haired advised.

"Good idea," Haruhiko set his gun to safe-lock and secured it under his belt. The Usami brothers patted allover his clothes in search for anything useful.

"I found a cellphone in this pocket!" The silver haired announced with the biggest triumphal grin.

"We're saved!" Takahiro collapsed on his knees beside Akihiko. Haruhiko snuggled in next to his brother as well, crowding alongside with the alacrity to call for help. Keen eyes longing for rescue glued to the small screen of a smartphone. The silver haired unlocked the phone, no password was required and fifty percent battery life was available. Wonderful, he thought.

"Yes signals present, not a lot but should be enough. Haru, what's father's number?"

"Number? Hmmmm… Damn I forgot the middle digits!"

"You forgot?!" The other two couldn't believe this. The only man who knew how to contact the big boss was Haruhiko.

"How could you forget?! You work with him!" Akihiko vexed.

"I use the contacts app, that doesn't mean I memorized his number! Maybe the last digits and the start. I could remember if I can try to."

"Well do it! Because who knows, this guy's buddies might be expecting a call from him."

"I am! Just give me some time to remember!" The older Usami tapped his chin with his index finger to deeply contemplate.

"Well, there's no point. I'm going to try and call the police."

"Wait, Usagi-san. Let me call Manami. I remember her number. You said your father would take her back to the mansion right?"

"It's highly likely, but if she isn't, she could relay the message."

"Exactly!"

"Good thinking Takahiro. We don't need this amnesiac here."

Haruhiko growled to retort against Akihiko's puerile insult.

"Let's just hope this phone has some credit left in it," Takahiro said as he tapped in the numbers before calling. He set the phone to loudspeaker, they listened in growing suspense.

"Please go through, please go through," Akihiko begged under his voice.

"Sorry the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again." The automated service provider responded. The three frowned in disappointment.

"Damn, I'll try again. Please pick up Manami."

At the Usami Mansion.

Manami's phone rung, vibrating inside her crimson leather purse. Her bag was situated on a coffee table, adjacent to Mahiro who engrossed himself with the dunking of his soft cookie into his warm milk. The boy's mother had recently locked herself in the bathroom, showering privately to relieve some of the pressure stuck in her head. The ringing was inaudible for her, except for Mahiro. He heard it, but ignored it. Tanaka was busy with dinner preparations, Jiro who was his assigned babysitter had been sent to his room since a visitor was coming, Tadao and the guards had their own duties, only the maids were bustling in and out periodically to check on him, however at this moment Mahiro was left unsupervised. It wasn't until the second call that his cookie was taken by gravity and drowned in milk. Pouting at his loss, the boy decided to curiously investigate the muffled ringtone. Opening up the unzipped purse, his small fingers explored before managing to locate the vibrating flip-up phone and pulling it. Using the memories of how his mother or father operated the device, he mimicked their actions. Finding his way around edges, he unfolded the phone and brought it up to his cheek…upside down evidently.

"Hallo?" He answered adorably.

Back to the three.

["Hallo?"]

"It got through! Mahiro!" Takahiro jubilated at the familiar voice of his son.

"Yeahh!" Akihiko and Haruhiko brought their arms around each other's neck to celebrate. This happened unintentionally out of joy, once the brother's realized the undesirable contact, they parted and recoiled with a disgusted look.

["Hallo?"]

"Mahiro! It's me papa. Can you put ma—."

["Hallo?" *coos indistinctly in the background]

"Takahiro. Don't tell me that your kid is left unsupervised," Akihiko dreaded.

"He better not be. Mahiro where's mama? Can you put mama on the phone?"

[*humming nursery rhythms]

"Damn Takahashi! Who's watching your kid?!"

"Shit. Please someone walk in, please someone walk in," the silver haired muttered.

All the sudden a plop of wetness was heard and the line ended abruptly.

"What just happened?! We got cut off?!" Takahiro panicked, he tried calling the number again, but still no one answered aside from the voice of a robotic female.

"That's just great!" Haruhiko covered his face with his palms. Their fighting spirits fractured in defeat. But it was not over yet, they still had the police left to aid them.

"Takahiro. Call the police now."

"Okay." During Takahiro's typing the walkie-talkie sounded, spooking them to shriek out femininely.

["Come in Yosh, come in. We are near you. Do you have the Usami brothers captured by now. I repeat, we on the private road now. Where is your position?"]

"Don't tell me this scum alerted his friends beforehand! We can't stay here!" Haruhiko warned the others.

"Then we must go if they know we're somewhere here. Takahiro hold onto the phone. Let's go!"

"Got it! But where do we run off to Usagi?! It's getting dark!"

"Anywhere but back down or up towards the road."

"So sideways then?" The older Usami pointed.

"YOSH!" A deep voice resonated from where the dirt road was set. This alarmed the three of their enemy's closeness.

"Do we have a choice? Come on!" Akihiko's commanded. While several jeeps were parked along the road, the three had taken off in a hurry, using nature's growth to conceal their nimble movements. There was no time to call the police, but as distance augmented safety, another essentiality was fading; signal.

On the other side.

"Oh my!" A young demure maid rushed to gently move Mahiro from the floor and onto the couch. The toddler fussed as she sat him down before pulling out a clean handkerchief from her pocket to dry his milky hands and mouth. Turning around she sighed at the naïve mess Mahiro had created. Puddles of white liquid redecorated the surface of the table and trickled down to stain the Saxony carpet, all spilled from a plastic cup. This sort of incident was normal for an innocent toddler, however the maid was left baffled at the sight of a phone lodged in the cup. Uttering a tsk and shaking her head, she proceeded to text her fellow colleagues for immediate assistance.

Tanaka knocked on the closed wooden door twice. "Young master Jiro. I've brought you dinner." Waiting patiently, the door opened and out popped two sweet emerald orbs and a mop of brunette hair. Shyly hiding behind the door, Jiro slowly revealed himself in a diffident manner. The boy was dressed in normal clothes consisting of jeans and a hooded jumper, delivered to the mansion yesterday by Haruhiko's secretary.

"Tanaka-san?"

"Pardon my intrusion Jiro, but I've brought you dinner."

The brunette nodded mutedly to allow the butler to enter with his shelved trolley full of food and selectable beverages. He was still warming up to this new lifestyle where he had maids to do his chores and a family butler to take care of him when needed. Yes this was better than being trapped in a basement of a brothel in an underground red light city. But it was still imprisonment, depriving him of true freedom and restricting him to this very room Haruhiko had fought for him. Extra guards had been stationed in the mansion to keep a watchful eye and ear on him, fearing that the boy may alert the authorities.

The butler strolled in before stopping to remove a silver tray and placing it on the short-legged table. Lifting up the dome, the delicious aroma of penne pasta wafted the room. Salivating, Jiro was captivated by the Italian styled meal, garnished with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.

"Thank you Tanaka-san." The boy politely bowed to thank him.

"No need to thank me. What beverage would you like to drink? I have water, apple juice, wine?" The older man indicated to each respective pitcher.

"Water will do, thank you."

"As you wish." Tanaka begun to pour the cold water into a glass cup.

"Umm Tanaka-san, when will Haru-san be back?"

Tanaka sighed as he settled the cup next to the plate of pasta, worried expressions were pinned on both of them.

"I do not know. But I'm sure he'll be back in no time." The butler forced a warm smile to reassure Jiro.

"I saw the news…was it true that they were attacked?"

"Yes, but I'm sure—."

"Please Tanaka-san, is he safe? I need to know. Please!" His voice could almost transition into a desperate whine, he wanted answers now! Initially Jiro wanted to commit suicide after the first meeting with Fuyuhiko, however that harmful conscious was doused by a savior whom he had wished saved him earlier. He forgave Haruhiko for rejecting him, there were factors anchoring the architect down from making a tough decision, purely because of his father. And Jiro could see that. He was merely a purchasable item in the eyes of wealthy figures. He felt worthless, although for some reason, the only person that demonstrated the act of kindness was Haruhiko. The older man may appear impassive but under that skin, Jiro could sense a kind heart, cored somewhere within there. Henceforth, the brunette grew attached to him, relying on him as the only closest friend he could talk to. He needed Haruhiko to keep his sanity intact. He needed him to bar Fuyuhiko. He needed him for comfort. He needed him overall…

"Jiro. Haruhiko will be back. Usami Fuyuhiko is a very powerful man, he'll make sure his sons will be safe." His head tilted in concern to examine the brunette's leaking emotions. Jiro's eyes appeared watery, glimmering to deepen the contrast of his emerald iris. Tanaka pitied the boy, urging him to offer solace, but his next serving was Manami. He had a job to do, that would need to wait for now.

"Please I want him back. Where is he?" Jiro pleaded once more.

"I don't know. I'm sorry young one, but I'm sure they're somewhere safe at this point. But please you have to eat, its not good to skip meals. Come on." Tanaka shepherd Jiro to dine, gesticulating caringly as if the boy were his son.

"Okay," he mumbled unenthusiastically.

Several hours later, a vehicle pulled up in front of the mansion. As the car door opened, out stepped a heel. Miyagi Yoh had come. Waiting by the entrance, Tanaka introduced himself to the professor before escorting him into the building. Observant eyes wandered, studying the environment and noting the amount of security. Passing a room he caught the glimpse of a toddle attempting to mount on a dirty-blond dog like a horse while his mother chided him for his misbehavior. Arriving outside an unused office, the two were met with Tadao.

"I'll leave it to you two." Tanaka considerately departed.

"We meet again," the guard smiled. "Names Tadao. Personal bodyguard and director of Usami security." He extended his palm out to invite him to a handshake.

The professor accepted. "Names Miyagi Yoh. Professor of Literature for Mitsuhashi University. You don't have a last name?"

"I like to keep a low profile."

"I see."

"Well, I'm going to be the one showing you the evidence and answering your questions, as best as I could. I'm sorry Usami could not be here right now. He's resting, so he asked me to do the explaining." Tadao twisted the knob to enter the room. Inside, only an ovoid table and office chairs were present.

"You can have a seat." The guard kindly directed. Miyagi complied and sat opposite to the man. Tadao organized a stack of folders and arranged the laptop off to his side. "Now before we go any further. I need to ask you a few questions. Usami had decided for you to know because Shinobu pleaded so. However we need to know who we're revealing this to first. For protection purposes."

The paucity of trust angered the professor. "Look here, I don't get why you and your boss are so defensive. I need to know where Shinobu is, who's he with and why." His voice was becoming increasingly strident.

"I understand. I'll tell you if you answer my questions first."

"Fine," Miyagi grumbled.

"First question. What is your relationship with this boy? Were you lovers for example? Related?"

This was a personal and fairly awkward question for the professor. He hated it, but he had to spit something out that made him sound important to his boy. "Uh…Shi—Shinobu was like a family to me. He's my ex-wife's younger brother and my boss's son…and…" Sounding unconvincing enough, Miyagi was irked. "You know what, he's special to me! That's all that matters! Anymore questions?!"

Stunned by his strong response, Tadao assumed it had something to do with some sort of love, just which one? "Ah, okay. You two seem close. One more question. Have you received any letters, cards or any offensive material from an unknown sender?"

"No. But does this have any link with the pictures scattered across my workplace?"

"It could be. Its just a question to help us understand if the other party has any ulterior motives against you or Shinobu's family."

"I'm lost. Can you explain to me properly? And no lies! I need to know the truth!"

Tadao was too tired to even barely settle Miyagi's irascibleness. "Yes, yes, yes. I understand. I'm going to simplify this for you." The Usami guard swiped a folder from the pile to position it in the middle.

"Based on what we know, Misaki and Shinobu were kidnapped and sold in a major auction in Italy."

"How do you know they were sold?"

"There was evidence. Mainly directed at the Usami family. I'm not meant to reveal that much, but the emotions you display seem genuine. Believe me I've worked with many criminals and victims and know how to read people. And I could tell Shinobu is your lover. Am I not right?"

Miyagi choked a cough. "Ah, he's only like a little brother to me…" He nervously defended.

Unconvincingly staring, Tadao shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway back to where we were. We don't know who the seller or who the kidnappers are, if they were targeted, or it was just a coincidence that these boys were sold together by the same guy."

"Wait. You don't know the kidnappers? So it's not Goto Aku and his gang?"

"We don't kno—wait! Did you just say Goto Aku?!" This caught Tadao's attention, big time. His droopy eyelid reawakened.

"Yes I said his name." Miyagi was clueless to the Usami guard's perking interest.

"How do you know this man? What's your part in this?" Tadao interrogated him.

Miyagi's demeanor fell stern. "Why? Are you corrupted? Are you trying to get me to confess everything so that you can hide Shinobu's whereabouts?!"

"No, no, no! We believe Goto Aku may hold relevant knowledge on the attacker; Goto Aki. They were cousins, the only living family member alive, and with a bad history of drug trafficking. We're investigating because the Usami brothers were attacked by Aki and his members. His autopsy and DNA file came this afternoon."

"So that explains the news this morning?"

"Yes."

"Is this possibly linked to Shinobu?"

Tadao paused to think clearly. Fuyuhiko limited on the amount he was allowed to reveal to Miyagi, mainly concerning with his family. Though it was difficult to describe Shinobu's situation without revealing the main culprit and his real intentions. However the professor may possess pivotal knowledge on the enemy's relative, thereby leading them to Aku's whereabouts. The gang leader may hold relevant knowledge on the gang Armel controls in Japan, he was their only lead so far. Although Aku was an elusive man, always actively hiding. So how did Miyagi manage to track down a criminal mastermind without aid from the police or sophisticated equipment. Tadao wanted to know, the three men were in danger and he needed to extract information about Aku right now!

"Possibly… Miyagi. Look I really need your help. We need to find this Aku ASAP. He's the only person that knows the gang responsible for this attack. We don't know, the police don't know. So if you can tell me, I'll tell you EVERYTHING."

An opportunity to uncover the full story, Miyagi wasn't going to reject this. "Fine. You promise?"

"I promise."

Miyagi sat up straight, clearing his dry throat before beginning. "Ever since Shinobu was kidnapped, I took my time to monitor the streets and suburbs for any suspicious activity. It all pinned down to a black van. From there I tried my hardest to keep a close eye on the member's activity. The night you dropped me off, I went to the nearest convenience store (his supply of cigarettes was depleted), bumped into one of the members complaining about the how ugly a guy's red dragon tattoo on his neck was. Mentioned the guy's name, Goto Aku. Without hesitation, I ran back home to check one of the photos I took of them, and there it was, a blond punk with a red dragon tattoo, the only one."

"Wow, you did a lot of hard work. You must have a natural private detective in you." Tadao praised with amazement. "Anyway, did you manage to locate a hideout or any clubs, stops, apartments, anything?"

"I did. The photos are all in my apartment, there's a lot of places they visited, a few clubs, maybe two apartments I saw them enter."

Hitting a jackpot in their manhunt, Tadao rose up instantly, startling Miyagi a little. "You're a genius! We need to see those photos now! Come on, we're going! I need to tell Fuyuhiko about this, might need to bring a few extra guards as well."

"Going where? What about the video and the evidence you were talking about?!" Miyagi didn't want to leave empty-handed.

"You can watch it in your private time. I'll tell you everything in the car, so drive me there. I'll bring this folder and laptop with me, go wait in the car. I'll meet you there in ten minutes." Urgency compelled Tadao to sever the meeting, this could wait, but not the victims. If they find the gang, they'll find the three men.

Meanwhile in Miyagi's apartment.

"Should we tell the boss?" A masked man asked his fellow member. His gloved hand glided across the board of pictures, tracing the red writing of a name under a gang linked to their sacrificial underling.

"We will, but we still have to deal with this professor."

"But he'll be back."

"Exactly. We'll get rid of him quickly after we ask a few questions. It would please Yukihiko. This guys knows that kid. Plus he also knows the guy we're hiding too."

"Interesting, we shall wait then…" The underling sparked a cigarette lighter and begun to burn the edges of the photos before dropping it down into Miyagi's ashtray.

A sleepless malice awaits.


End file.
